Four Minds
by OhTex
Summary: A series of one-shots about the adventures and relationships of four time travellers aboard the TARDIS. Sequel to 'Mind Games'. 11/OC Amy/Rory.
1. The Morning After

A/N**: **_Hello again everyone! I know, I know, I'm back awfully quick but I just can't stop! So this first one-shot takes place the morning after Fred joins the TARDIS trio at the end of 'Mind Games'. It's only a little one but I thought it was a good one to start of with so you all know what's coming with these one-shots! The next one-shot (ie. chapter 2) will be a bit longer, I promise! Anyway...onward!_

* * *

><p><span>The Morning After<span>

"Morning, Pond!"

"Good morning." Amy descended the steps and stood the opposite side of the console to the Doctor, a frown on her face as she studied him.

"So," He began, fiddling with the controls as usual. "Where are we off today?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Is that it?"

The Doctor huffed. "Is what _it_?"

"You know what I'm talking about! Doctor, you can't just pretend everything's the same. She's here now and it's going to be _different_."

"What do you want me to do, Amy? Sit everyone down to a breakfast buffet and have a good old natter?"

"Don't be ridiculous – " Amy stopped abruptly and gazed off into thin air.

"Pond?"

Amy just grinned.

* * *

><p>"Wow. It wasn't like this when I was here before. It was more, sort of...scavenge for your own food." Fred said, standing in the kitchen doorway and trying to take in the huge array of food spread across the table. Amy stood at the other end of the table, surveying her handy work.<p>

"Don't get used to this! I just thought it'd be good if we could all sit down together and...have a good old natter. It was the Doctor's idea, actually."

The Doctor glared at her but sat down anyway opposite Rory who already had a mouth full of pancake. Amy took a seat at one end of the table while Fred took a seat at the other. Amy watched Fred pick up some toast, jam and a croissant, her face unreadable. The Doctor looked from one to the other, hoping desperately that they would get on.

"Amy, this is amazing!" Fred exclaimed, chomping on a croissant. Amy smiled and the Doctor relaxed a little. The four of them ate in fairly comfortable silence until Fred asked, "So how long have you two been married?"

"Ummm..." Amy floundered. "It's kind of hard to say."

Rory tried to work it out. "I suppose, in normal time, about six months. But, you know, it's so difficult to keep track in here."

Fred chuckled."Of course. So, what sort of adventures has he – " she gestured towards the Doctor. "Been taking you on? What have you been up to in...eighteen months wasn't it?"

Amy and Rory shared a glance. "Well..."

Fred gaped as the Ponds finished their story. She looked at Rory. "You waited for her? For 2000 years?"

Rory nodded.

"Bloody hell. The last bloke I went out with back home wouldn't even wait for me to get out of the shower before going to the toilet."

There was a moment of silence before Amy gave a loud burst of laughter. Fred and Rory chuckled too and the Doctor smiled, relieved.

Yes, this was going to work just fine.

* * *

><p><em>I hope you enjoyed that!<em>

_I'm not sure how many of these one-shots I'm going to do (at the moment I have 11 planned out) but I'm going to leave it open so I can keep adding to them whenever. I have to say, no major events are going to happen in these...I'm saving that for the next story! These one-shots are going to be fluffy and fun!_

_Anyway, please leave a review!_


	2. Pleasure Planet 164

A/N: Hello all! I'm so glad you enjoyed the opening one-shot. I'm happy to say this one is longer and is even more fun! Thanks to all who reviewed:

**Rwyf-Yn-y-Blaidd-Drwg, Simpa007, Jo. Brookes, alyssa love, padmay97, Shifuni** and **MayFairy**. I love you guys!

* * *

><p><strong>Pleasure Planet 164<strong>

"I have a request!" Rory called to his three friends one morning when the Doctor asked where they wanted to go that day. They all looked at him, surprised. "I want to go back to that Pleasure Planet. You know Doctor, the one you dropped us off at after..." He trailed off, glancing at Fred and then back to the Doctor who looked sheepish at the memory of chucking the Ponds out for the day.

"Right, yes!" The Doctor cried before Fred could ask what Rory was on about. He pulled levers, pushed buttons and, with a flourish, twiddled the zig-zag plotter. "Pleasure Planet 164, here we come!" He turned to his friends. "Come on then, Ponds and Knight. We'd better dress for summer!"

* * *

><p>"Oh, good call Rory!" Fred exclaimed, popping on her large sunglasses in the shape of pineapples and surveying the scene in front of her. She, Amy and Rory stood outside the TARDIS, waiting for the Doctor to emerge after proclaiming he was off to 'dress for summer'. He was right to tell them to dress for heat; the planet was humid and the two suns surrounding it were glaring down on them. Fred was feeling warm even in her little floral playsuit and sandals and she saw Amy fan herself too despite wearing her usual short skirt.<p>

"Where the bloody hell is he?" Amy muttered, glancing back inside the TARDIS. Fred heard footsteps inside and the Doctor's voice saying,

"I'm ready!"

"Oh my god." Amy came back out the TARDIS. "Wait 'til you see what he's got on his head."

Fred and Rory exchanged a glance before the Doctor emerged, a wonderfully, carefree childish grin on his face, arms aloft. He was clothed in his usual suit, though he had removed his jacket and he was wearing a pair of sunglasses that Fred recognised as the ones he had stolen from a shop the first time he'd met her. But the most ridiculous thing was on his head.

"A sombrero?" Rory said, incredulously. "You're wearing a sombrero?"

"Of course! Nothing better to keep off the sun!" He cried with joy. "Took me a while to find it in the wardrobe but find it I did! Come on then, off we go exploring!"

Amy and Rory set off immediately, heading towards the market which was just down the hill they had landed on. The Doctor offered Fred his arm. "Shall we go, dear? Wonderful glasses."

"Why thank you, sir." She said in a mock posh voice, taking his arm. "Go we shall."

"Look at those!" Amy exclaimed half way through their walk around the market, pointing to a stall selling fruit. The fruit however, was nothing like any they had seen before. The whole stall was covered in large blue fruits, shaped like pumpkins and slightly translucent so you could see the liquid and seeds inside. Fred leaned over to touch one and it pulsed under her fingers. She jumped and shrieked and they all laughed.

"What the hell are they?"

"They're maceivia." The Doctor picked one up. "Delicious things but you've got to be careful not to eat some of the seeds. If you look, some of the seeds inside glow green. You have to avoid those because they'll grow new maceiviasin your stomach." The Doctor bought one, tucking it under his arm. "We'll have that later."

They carried on along the market until Rory became interested in a stall selling medicines and remedies for obscure illnesses. He peered at the bottles before picking up a tall, glass bottle, unstopping it and sniffing its contents gingerly. Suddenly, the stall keeper noticed him and bellowed,

"NO! YOU PUT THAT BACK! YOU EITHER BUY IT OR YOU DON'T, DEMON!"

"Ah, what's the problem here?" The Doctor intervened smoothly.

"He called me a demon!" Rory cried, offended.

"He's a Claisimparch." The Doctor said quietly. "They're notoriously suspicious of foreign races. Particularly humans, I'm afraid."

"THIS PIECE OF FLITH OPENED ONE OF MY BOTTLES!" The Claisimparch bellowed again.

"Oh, Rory!" The Doctor exclaimed, exasperated but still amused. "What did you do that for, you numpty?"

"Well, Doctor..." Rory waved the bottle at him. "I'm pretty sure this is just water."

The Doctor sniffed it and raised his eyebrows. "So it is."

"HOW DARE YOU? THIS IS THE BEST MEDICAL STALL ON THE PLANET!"

"But you're a fraud!" Rory exclaimed.

Suddenly, the Claisimparch stall owner pulled out a short knife. "GET AWAY, YOU SWINES! AWAY!"

"Uh, Rory, I think it's time we made a tactical retreat."

They both backed away, and hurried down the market, losing the Claisimparch in the crowds. However, it seemed they had lost Amy and Fred too. Rory groaned.

"Amy? AMY?"

A shriek cut across Rory's call, followed by a hysterical giggle. The Doctor and Rory glanced around, locating the source of the noise. Amy and Fred burst out into the main street, laughing and holding onto each other.

Rory frowned. "What the – "

"We bought roller skates!"

The Doctor hooted with laughter as Fred clung onto his arm, wobbling slightly.

"Where did you find roller skates?" Rory asked, bewildered and amused.

"They're selling them on one of the stalls in the next row!" Amy said, concentrating hard on her feet.

"They're so cool!" Fred twirled, stumbling a little and grabbing onto Amy. Both of them started laughing again and skated off in front of the two men. They shrugged at each other and had little choice other than to follow them. A few feet ahead, away from the market, was a length of flat, dusty land before it gave way to steep hill. They went down it quickly, trying to catch up with their two female companions but as soon as they reached the bottom of the hill, the dust gave way to dark sand and sea.

They weren't there.

Suddenly, the comms device in the Doctor's pocket crackled. He pulled it out, eager to find them, and answered.

"Stupid Face! Doctor! Look up!" Amy's voice shouted out of the device.

They both looked up, scanning the hilly landscape above them. Abruptly, two small figures appeared on the cliff a way away from them.

"Oh my god!" Rory said, eyes wide. "They're not going to do what I think they're going to do are they?"

"I think they are." The Doctor muttered, half in concern, half in admiration.

* * *

><p>"This is mad!" Amy squealed, stripping down to the bikini she'd thankfully put on. Opposite her, Fred was doing the same. When the Doctor had said 'dress for summer', she'd hoped that there may be a beach involved. She frowned as she felt fear pool in her stomach.<p>

"Amy, when we hit the water, check I'm alright! I'm not the strongest of swimmers. Drowning is my number one fear."

"Well, you know what they say." Amy fiddled with her bikini and stood next to Fred. "Face your fear."

They both reached the edge of the cliff, toes poking out over the edge. The deep blue waves crashed against the rocks. They both shared a fearful glance.

"I think the best thing to do..." Fred tried not to let her voice waver. "...is to take a run up. Then we won't see the sea or how high up we are until we're down there."

Amy nodded, also looking a little scared. "Good idea."

They walked back a few metres and puffed out a breath. Amy held out her hand. "Together? So neither of us will back out while the boys are watching."

Fred took it. "Together."

They took another deep breath, shared a glance and ran towards the edge, screams bursting out of each of their mouths. The fall seemed to last forever, beautiful and serene, both women feeling weightless and like they were in slow motion.

They hit the water and their hands parted as they both swam to the top again, Fred a little slow which made her panic just before she broke the surface of the water with a gasp. Amy was treading water and laughing, exhilarated by the whole experience. Despite her fear of deep water, Fred joined in, pushing her wet hair off her face and splashing.

Across the beach, they could see the Doctor and Rory rushing towards them.

"Why don't you come in too?" Fred called to them. The two men exchanged a glance before the Doctor shrugged, took off his boots, rolled up his trousers and waded in up to his knees, enjoying the cool water. He squinted up at the sky, and thought that being with three friends, on a warm planet with no violence or drama surely meant that this was a good day.

He looked back down at his friends frolicking in the water and they heaved Rory in, clothes and all. He laughed, watching Rory protest as his wife dragged him further into the sea. This was one of the best days, in fact.

Besides, he thought rather sneakily, wasn't Fred wearing a bikini? He tried to peer through the water before shaking himself. Deciding he couldn't be trusted to stay in the water with a nearly naked Fred, he waded back up to the beach where he stood, hands on hips. He looked to his left, then to his right. He frowned.

Now, where had he left that maceivia...?

* * *

><p><em>I hope that was as fun to read as it was to write!<em>

_Please leave a review and let me know if this is still ok to read despite the lack of any real adventure!_

_Also, for any Harry Potter fans, I've written a little Lucius Malfoy one-shot. I'd love it if you could check that out too!_


	3. Sleeping By The Window

A/N: Hello all! I hope you all love this one-shot; it's my favourite so far! There's more Doctor/Fred fluff so...enjoy! Thanks to all who reviewed "Pleasure Planet 164":

**MayFairy, Simpa007, TheOnyxRose, alyssa love, padmay97, Jo. Brookes **and **Shifuni.** You're all awesome!

* * *

><p><strong>Sleeping by the Window<strong>

When Fred had got out of bed to get a glass of water from the kitchen next to the control room, she had been relieved to see that the lights were down meaning that the Doctor had at last gone to bed. Not that she was avoiding him, but she didn't exactly look her best with no make-up, a tiny pair of shorts and a tight vest on and her hair even wilder than usual.

Just as she was about to leave the kitchen and head back up the two flights of stairs to her bedroom (it was ridiculous; she had been nagging the Doctor about making her a little kitchen next to her room but he just waved her off), when she heard the hum of lights down the corridor to her left. She frowned and knew that it was _him_. He had _said_ he was sleeping tonight. She padded down the corridor and then took a sharp right until she was met with two doors, one on each side. The one on the right was the library, all stone and wood with a fountain in the middle and loads of old leather sofas. Fred loved it in there and often went in to read up on anything she could get her hands on.

But the Doctor wasn't in there. He was in the room to her left; she could see the glow of the lights underneath the door. She had no idea why he had come to the swimming pool if he couldn't sleep but that was the Doctor all over: unpredictable and seemingly illogical. All thoughts of not looking her best disappeared when it came to the Doctor's well being. She pushed open the door and her eyes strained to adjust to the light bouncing off the white tiles. As soon as she was inside, she knew where he was. She poked her head around the corner behind the door and sure enough there he was.

When she saw him, she realised why he had chosen to come here. The swimming pool was one of the only rooms in the TARDIS where there was a window. Well, three to be precise; all large and in the shape of suns; all in their own little cubby-holes and in each one, there was a very comfy seat. The Doctor was sat on the one closest to her with his feet up and as he gazed rather morosely out of the large window to his left. He glanced up at her when she rounded the corner and had the good grace to look guilty. He knew what she was going to say.

"You lied." She said simply, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall.

"I didn't mean to." He sounded exhausted. "I meant to go to bed I just...couldn't face it."

She sighed and swatted his feet, indicating that she wanted him to move over. He did and she climbed on next to him, putting her feet up too; so they were topping and tailing. She studied him but he avoided her gaze, his eyes fixed on some distant star out of the window instead. She knew what was troubling him. He'd tried not to show it but she could tell. The Master's escape had left him on edge.

"It bothers you doesn't it?"

He dragged his eyes back to her and nodded slowly. "Of course it does. I hate that he's just...out there and I don't know what's doing. Or planning."

"I don't get it; your relationship, I mean." Fred said, shaking her head. "Are you friends? Enemies?"

The Doctor hesitated before saying, "Both, I suppose. I'd like us to be friends – "

"Well that's obvious."

"Is it?" The Doctor asked, surprised.

"Yeah. I could tell you wanted to be friends from the moment you trusted him at the Clockwork Hotel. It was like, you asked him a question and he lied but you still believed him."

The Doctor snorted. "I was stupid."

"No." Fred said quickly. "No, you were _you_. You trusted him when no one else did and you gave him a chance when no one else did. You believed him because you needed to."

The Doctor rubbed his hands over his tired face. "I just want to help him."

Fred shook her head. "No, Doctor. You can't save him. It's too late. Justice will come his way, for better or for worse. I think there's a higher power controlling his fate."

The Doctor's hands fell from his face and he stared at her suspiciously. "That's an odd thing to say."

She shrugged. "Perhaps; but I got the impression that's what he believed too after escaping from the vortex."

"He told you about that?"

"Only a little. He mostly muttered in his sleep." As soon as she said it, Fred wanted to take it back. The last thing she wanted to do was draw attention to the fact that she and the Master used to share the same bed. The Doctor, romantic as ever, hadn't even given that detail a second's thought. He seemed to be remembering something.

"Did he ever mention why he came back? Did he ever talk about a key?"

Fred tried to remember, unsure of why this was important. "Yes, he did. Why?"

"Did he tell you anything about it? Anything at all?" The Doctor was leaning forward, looking much more awake.

"No, nothing. Although, I have a feeling he didn't really know what it was either."

At this, the Doctor slumped against the wall again and fell back into a state of deep thought. Fred tutted and nudged his gangly legs.

"Oh, for god's sake, will you cheer up?"

The Doctor looked surprised at her sudden outburst. She rolled her eyes and said,

"Well, the talking approach didn't work did it? I thought I'd try a more direct method." He gave a weak chuckle but his heart wasn't in it. She sighed. "Doctor, there's nothing you can do. Finding him would be impossible; he'll be found when he wants to be. Until then...try and enjoy exploring the universe with your friends. I know it's boring and tiresome but do your best."

This time, he laughed properly. She grinned and glanced out of the window only to see her own reflection.

"Oh god, what have you got to be miserable about?" She gestured to the reflection. "At least you don't look like shit."

He winced at her language but still took hand and said sincerely, "No you don't."

"Aww." She patted his cheek affectionately. "That's very sweet, but I really do. Now," She shifted on the seat. "You should sleep."

He groaned. "I don't need to."

"Now we both know that's not true." She lightly scalded. She stood up and held out her hand. "Come on, Doctor. You need to go to bed."

He waved a hand. "I'll sleep here."

She huffed. "No you won't! You'll just be up all night thinking about things you can't do anything about!"

"If I'm going to do that anyway, what's the point of going to bed?"

Fred sighed, weighing up her options. She strode off out of the pool, around the corner and back along the corridor until she came to a walk-in cupboard not far from the kitchen. She pulled out a blanket and strode back to the swimming pool where the Doctor had stayed, confused by her sudden exit.

"Right then," Fred said, settling on the seat across from him again. "If you're going to stay up all night, you're at least going to be happy about it. Prepare to be distracted from your woes, my man."

"You don't have to do this."

"Oh, yes I do. Anything to get that look off your face."

* * *

><p>Nearly two hours later, Fred grumbled: "This is bloody uncomfortable. And I'm tired. How long have you gone without sleep?"<p>

"Since you came back." The Doctor admitted.

"A month?" Fred exclaimed, fiddling with the blanket covering them both.

"Yes, well...I'm not a human. I can go without sleep."

"Yeah, for a couple of days; maybe for a week or two. Not a month!"

He shrugged. Fred whimpered.

"Alright, I give up. I'm going to sleep. But I'm sleeping here so don't you dare even consider being depressed tonight! I'll know and it'll wake me up."

He grinned and watched squirm and fidget, trying to get comfortable enough to sleep opposite him.

"You'll never get comfortable."

"I'll do my best."

He held out a hand. She stared at it suspiciously before taking it, unsure of what he was up to. As soon as her hand was in his, he pulled her towards him and she fell against his chest. All in all it was rather...

"Comfortable?" He asked as she snuggled against him.

"Surprisingly yes." She murmured.

"Well you just go to sleep there. I'll stay up and not be miserable."

"That's the spirit." She was already sliding into sleep.

He grinned and wrapped his arms around her. Humans were so warm.

* * *

><p>The Doctor heard voices and it made him jump. Not because they were unfamiliar (he quickly realised it was Amy and Rory in the control room) but because his eyes were closed. He opened them and realised that he'd slept through most of the night. He looked down and then he knew why.<p>

It was all because of a young, warm human female who was still curled up against his chest, guarding his hearts. He just smiled and closed his eyes again. After all, a little more rest couldn't hurt, could it?

* * *

><p><em>I hope that was fun and sweet to read!<em>

_The next one shouldn't be too long (hopefully!) but if you want more Fred/Doctor goodness right __**now**__ then check out the little banner/wallpaper I made on my Deviantart account and the "Mind Games" fanmix I've just completed which is free to download on my LJ. Both links are on my profile. So...what are you waiting for? Go check them out and please leave a review on the way!_


	4. Alley Five

A/N: Hey all! This one-shot is so sweet, it might give you tooth-ache but I hope you like it nonetheless! Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter:

**Simpa007, alyssa love, padmay97, Jo. Brookes, a. , Shifuni** and **MayFairy. **Thanks guys!

* * *

><p><strong>Alley Five<strong>

Amy lay on her back, painfully awake next to a snoring Rory. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the white ceiling. The Doctor had given her and Rory a lovely room, the walls were a soothing duck egg blue with beautifully worn white floor boards and French-style furniture. But even that delightful design couldn't spare the Doctor from Amy's wrath.

_Roll, roll, roll. CLATTER._

Amy breathed through her nose and closed her eyes, trying to block out the noise. It went all quite before she heard laughter and then...

_Roll, roll, roll. CLATTER._

Amy huffed, fiddling with the bed covers. She glared enviously at Rory. She nudged him. Well, if she couldn't sleep why should he?

"What?" Rory murmured lazily, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"How can you sleep?" His wife demanded. "How can you sleep through the noise?"

"Oh, leave it, Amy. They're having fun, leave them alone."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe how bad you are!" Fred shrieked with glee as another one of the Doctor's efforts went in vain. Out of all ten pins, one wobbled but it still didn't fall. She laughed. "You are <em>dreadful<em>. I thought you were meant to be good at everything!"

The Doctor bristled. "Well, I can't be good at _everything_." He made his way back to where she sat on the bench at the top of the bowling lane they were playing on, helping himself to the bowl of multicoloured sweets Fred had found at the back of a cupboard in the TARDIS kitchen. He was sure they were a little chewier than they should be but they weren't bad. After all, they'd probably been in there a few hundred years. He sat next to her as she took a hasty swig of her Ficizes, a drink heralding from their recent visit to Planet Eninter, he had introduced her to a few weeks ago. She drank so much of it, he was beginning to worry that she was getting addicted to it. Perhaps he should've researched what was in it before he had made her try some.

She stood and made her way to the edge of the lane, picking up a ball on the way. She tested the weight before grinning at him and saying,

"Prepare to be humiliated, sir."

She bowled and hit over seven pins. She cheered.

* * *

><p>Amy fidgeted again. She was caught between wanting to sleep (they had been awake for three days in a row stuck on the planet Univel after the Doctor lost the TARDIS and upset the locals) and wanting Fred and the Doctor to keep having fun. She could really do with a rest after being up for so long but...she wasn't blind; it was obvious that the Doctor and Fred adored each other and was very happy to encourage them. She loved having Rory here and when – on the rare occasion when they got the chance – they spent some time alone, she was plagued with guilt about leaving the Doctor on his own. She knew he could get so lonely.<p>

She felt herself soften to their bowling until:

_Roll, roll, roll. CLATTER._

"Aargh!" She pulled the pillow from underneath her head and covered her face with it, muffling the noise.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you've got a bowling alley in here." Fred said, gazing around as they took a break after the last match. Fred had won again and the Doctor had turned to sweets to cheer himself up.<p>

"Why not? It's a perfectly sensible thing to have."

"Have you got a cinema?"

The Doctor frowned. "No. I haven't. Why haven't I? Goodness, I let that one slip didn't I? Oh, I remember! I was going to put one on the second floor but you took up the room!"

Fred looked bewildered. "Did I?"

"Yes, you did." He waggled a finger in her face. "You begged me for a music room, remember?"

"Oh, yeah." Fred grinned. "I _do_ love that room."

The Doctor smiled, seeing her happy was more important than having a cinema by far. Her happiness was more important to him than most things, actually. He watched her look around the room again in wonder, taking in the bright purple and orange walls and the other four bowling lanes next to them. He loved that about having companions, they always looked so amazed by things he couldn't see the wonder in. Having companions to show him how fun things were kept him going. She cleared her throat and put down her drink.

"Come on, then. Match three. Let's see if you can claw one back."

She bowled and knocked over eight pins this time. She sat next to him and picked up her drink again. He really should research what was in that; he might have to wean her off it.

"Go on then." She encouraged.

"Don't rush me." He took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. His stood and, with a flourish, straightened his bow tie.

Fred cackled. "Oh, it's serious now!"

The Doctor fixed her with a mock serious look. "It is _so_ on."

Her laughter followed him as he heaved a ball off the stand and stood in front of the bowling line, eyeing up his target. His right hand complained at the weight.

"Doctor!" Fred's voice called from behind him. "Are you sure you're using the right number ball? You never look very comfortable with the number 21."

21? Was that what he had been using? He didn't even know they went up that far! It had been a mistake to pick it up in the first place but how could he tell Fred he usually used an 11? Fitting as an 11 may be for him, it wasn't very...manly. So he had picked up the heaviest one he could find and bluffed.

"Of course it's the right one! Time Lords are stronger than humans. We're much more muscular." He puffed out his chest, trying to subtly let her know that he was very much a man.

She laughed. Evidently it didn't work. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Just bowl, Muscley."

He did and she shrieked as it rolled at a snail's pace down the lane and missed all of the pins. He turned around to return back to the bench to see her practically rolling on the floor laughing. Eventually, she sat up, wiping her eyes.

"Oh my god, that's got to be one of the funniest things I've ever seen!"

Before he could defend himself, the door swung open and Amy stood in the doorway, hair wild and face pink with annoyance.

"What are you doing?"

The Doctor tutted. "Don't be silly, Amy. We're in a _bowling alley_! So we're not swimming are we?"

Fred rolled her eyes and nudged him in the ribs.

"I know what you're doing, I mean why are you doing it? Right now?"

Fred winced. She hadn't really thought about the noise they were making. "Well, after Univel, I was all hyped up and I couldn't sleep so the Doctor suggested bowling. Sorry if we woke you."

Amy sighed. "I don't want to be a nag it's just...I'm _really_ tired. And with all the noise..."

"No, no, no, Amy it's fine!" Fred smiled. "Don't worry, we'll stop."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!" The Doctor chipped in, glad that Amy and Fred got on so well. "There's loads of stuff we can do! Unless, you and Rory want to play too?" He gestured to the bowling alley.

Amy laughed and shook her head. "Thank you but I'm exhausted." With a final smile, she left, feeling more relaxed already.

An hour later, Fred and the Doctor hadn't moved from their seats on the bench at the top of alley five. They had been rather fiercely competing over who could throw sweets into their mouths the most accurately. Silly, really, but oddly addictive. Unfortunately for Fred, the Doctor was winning as suspected he would with his superior hand/eye coordination.

"I swear you're cheating!"

"Cheat?" The Doctor looked baffled. "How can I cheat at throwing sweets into my mouth?"

"I don't know but you must be! You're too good at this." Fred said, plucking one of the last two sweets from the bowl. The Doctor picked the last one out and grinned.

"Right, I bet I can get this into your mouth."

Fred opened her mouth wide and he took aim. It arched into the air, twirling and landed into her mouth. She beamed and chewed it. She swallowed and held up her last sweet. She gave him a mischievous look.

"I bet I can get this into _your_ mouth."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows, about to make a witty comment about her being a rubbish thrower when she put the red sweet into her own mouth. He frowned and opened his mouth to question her, but he was cut off by her lips crashing into his.

* * *

><p>"We could just go and play too, Amy." Rory said, lead on his side. After hearing Amy get up, he was fully awake and so was she. Tired, but still awake.<p>

"Do you think?" Amy bit her lip. "I don't want to interfere."

Rory snorted. "Interfere? With what? Amy, they invited us to play too! It'll be fun."

Amy hesitated before caving. There was no point in not joining them if they were all awake and Rory was eager to show off his bowling skills which he had always been oddly proud of.

"Alright. But let me go and double check it really is ok. I don't want to spoil anything." Amy swung out of bed and made for the door.

"Spoil what? I don't get it?" Rory called after her.

Amy sighed. God, men could be blind. She couldn't believe Rory hadn't noticed the way Fred and the Doctor were with each other. She padded out of her room, along the corridor a few metres and was about to push open the door when she froze. Through the small, circular window in the door, Amy could see them sat on the bench she had left them on only they weren't bowling. They weren't even talking. They were _kissing_ and rather passionately at that.

Amy gaped as the Doctor snaked an arm around Fred's waist and pulled her closer to him. The Doctor hadn't reacted like that when Amy kissed him! Now, she was glad that nothing had happened between her and the Doctor – she loved Rory more than she thought she could love anyone – but she had thought nothing had happened because the Doctor hadn't been interested in...that sort of thing. After all, hadn't he said,

"_But you're __human__!"_

Amy raised an eyebrow. Evidently, the Doctor didn't mind when Fred was concerned. Suddenly, Amy's face broke into a huge grin. This was great, wasn't it? She had Rory, the Doctor had Fred...they didn't have to worry about leaving him alone because he wouldn't be! She beamed. They could go on double dates! She peered in again and saw the two of them finally part. Amy ducked down and scuttled back to her room where she was met with a perplexed Rory.

"We're not going." Amy said with glee, clambering back into bed.

"Why not?"

"We'd be interfering." She snuggled up to him. He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. They fell into comfortable silence and Amy felt herself drifting off before Rory said,

"I still don't get what you mean. What's happening to interfere?"

* * *

><p>When the Doctor and Fred finally parted, the first thing the Doctor thought was: <em>where's the sweet gone? <em>Had he swallowed it? The second thing he thought was that his first thought wasn't the normal first thought of someone who had just partaken in a long, passionate kiss with a pretty girl.

She was looking at him, unsure of what he was thinking. The Doctor took her hands and she scooted ever closer to him.

"Fred..." He began quietly, looking at her hands.

"What?" She said, mimicking his quiet, serious tone.

"Your tongue feels funny. I think you're addicted to Ficizes and I think I'm going to have to wean you off it."

Fred gazed at him before bursting into laughter. He watched, not understanding what was so funny. Suddenly, she threw his arms around him. After a moment of surprise, he hugged her back.

"Oh, Doctor. You're so romantic."

* * *

><p><em>I hope you liked that..I'm loving writing the fun fluff! Also, I've sorted out my idea for my next multi-chap fic for this series so I hope to be writing that soon! I'll probably put that up while still writing these; I'm going to leave these open for whenever I'm struck with an idea but the series will carry on.<em>

_Anyway, please leave a review!_


	5. All Pink

A/N: Hello all! I'm glad you all liked the fun events of the last one-shot...this one takes place the day after! As always, thanks to all who reviewed the last one:

**padmay97, ****Rwyf-Yn-y-Blaidd-Drwg, alyssa love, Jo Brookes, aPaperheaRt, MayFairy, Shifuni, Kellie, Brownbug** and **Simpa007.**

* * *

><p><strong>All Pink<strong>

With a skip, Fred entered the TARDIS' kitchen one morning with a grin and sat down at the table opposite Amy and Rory.

"Good morning! You're up late." Amy said through a mouthful of cereal. "Want some food?"

"Nope, I already had some in my _new kitchen!_" Fred grinned excitedly. Rory frowned just as the Doctor wandered in.

"What new kitchen?"

"Yeah!" Amy backed her husband up.

"The Doctor fitted it for me. It's so nice...all pink and retro!"

"No, no, no!" The Doctor muttered suddenly, looming over Fred in her chair. "What did I say? I said _don't tell them about the kitchen!_ They'll want one now!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Fred didn't look remotely sorry. "It's just so pretty! Thank you!"

She stood, slid her arms around the Doctor's middle beneath his jacket and cuddled against him. The Doctor looked stunned for a moment before he tentatively put his arms around her too. Amy watched, eyebrows raised, as the Doctor's head lowered and nuzzled her hair. Fred pulled away, grinning and seemingly unaware of the Doctor's reluctance to let her go.

"So, what are we doing today?" She asked the group at large.

"Not sure; it's up to you lot. Why don't I have a quick look on the monitor and see if the TARDIS can come up with something fun for us to do?"

Amy and Rory nodded and Fred said, "Sounds good."

The Doctor bounded out of the room, excited by the prospect of a new adventure. Fred wandered over to the small stereo on the kitchen worktop and flicked it on. Amy stood and charged after the Doctor leaving Fred humming along to the music and Rory still eating his toast.

"Doctor?" Amy called as she climbed the steps up to the console.

"Hmm?" The Doctor was fiddling with the buttons, various times and planets flashing up on the scanner.

"What's going on with you and Fred?"

The Doctor froze, his eyes wide. "What, er...what do you mean?"

Amy decided to tread lightly, seeing if she could get it out of him gently. "Oh well, you know. You two just seem close that's all."

The Doctor seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Yes, yes, yes, just friends. Good chums, pals, fellow scallywags. Nothing more."

"Really?" Amy watched the Doctor over her fingernails. "You like her as a friend then?"

"Yes, of course I like her! Honestly, Pond!" He tapped a few more buttons before frowning. He whipped around to look at Amy, his hair flopping in his face. "Do _you_ like her? You don't do you? Oh, for goodness sake I was afraid this was going to happen. You females are far too defensive! Listen to me Amy, really _listen_; Fred's great. She's funny and clever and pretty and brave – "

"Doctor, stop!" Amy held up her hands. "I DO like her! Calm down!"

"Well...good." The Doctor was slightly breathless and flushed after his rant. "So what _is_ this about?" He peered at her. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing! I was just asking!"

"No, no, no. You're never 'just' doing anything. So what are you doing?"

"Alright, fine!" Amy sighed and pushed her red hair over her shoulder. "I saw you two last night."

The Doctor froze again. "What? What do you mean?" He gave a false laugh. "I mean...you saw us last night because we woke you up when we were bowling. But that's...er...that's it."

"No, it's not. I saw you kissing!"

"No...we were...playing a game. Yes, we were playing a game with the sweets and we accidently...kissed."

Amy snorted. "Oh please! That's the worst excuse I've ever heard! Besides, you were really going for it." She raised an eyebrow mischievously.

The Doctor grinned. "Well...no!" He snapped himself out of it, waving his arms. "Stop it! Stop talking about it, stop it!"

"Doctor!" Amy smirked. "Are you embarrassed?"

"No." He said sulkily.

"Awwww." Amy pushed out her bottom lip and said loudly. "Does somebody have a little crush?"

"No!" He bellowed before wincing, remembering Fred was in the kitchen with Rory. "No!" He whispered. Amy just looked at him. "I don't!" He exclaimed.

"Then why did you kiss her?"

"She kissed me!"

"Oh, so you were just being polite were you? Please! I saw you pulling her against you."

The Doctor opened his mouth and then closed it again, finding he had no excuse for that. Amy sighed and pushed away from the rail she had been leaning on.

"Whatever you feel, you need to sort it. If you don't feel the same as she does then you have to make sure you're not leading her on." Amy gave him a look and made her way back to kitchen but before she reached the door, the Doctor called after her,

"Do you, er – do you think she likes me then?"

"Oh please!" Amy rolled her eyes. "You know she adores you!" She opened the door to the kitchen and stared in shock at the two people inside.

Fred and Rory froze, their eyes wide while Beyonce boomed out from the stereo. Amy looked from one to the other. The Doctor appeared at her shoulder, intrigued to see what she was so surprised about.

"Were you two just making up a dance routine?" Amy said incredulously.

"No!" Fred and Rory said unconvincingly.

Amy laughed, entering the kitchen. "Come on then, Fred. Teach me too!"

Fred grinned. "What makes you think it's _me_ that knows all the moves?"

Amy and the Doctor both looked at Rory who avoided their gaze, red faced.

As they danced, Fred glanced at the Doctor out of the corner of her eye, remembering their kiss last night and wondering what the Doctor thought about her. Or, more importantly, what he felt about her.

* * *

><p><em>I hope you enjoyed that one too...and there'll be another chapter of <em>_'Parted Minds'__ up soon!_

_Please leave a review!_


	6. Trouble In Togas

A/N: Hello all! I really struggled writing this one shot so apologies if it doesn't flow as well as some of the others. Also, this one isn't as light-hearted as the others but I suppose it can't all be happiness and fluff! Thanks to all who read and reviewed the last one shot:

**MayFairy, Simpa007, Jo Brookes, padmay97, Mrs 11****th****, alyssa love, Brownbug **and **Shifuni.**

And – if you haven't already – go and check out the sequel 'Parted Minds'!

* * *

><p><span>Trouble In Togas<span>

"Lamoda! Spectacular planet! Odd customs but as long as we obey them, we'll have a swell time!" The Doctor cried excitedly, twirling around the TARDIS console extravagantly while his three companions watched, bemused.

Rory stood against the railings, an arm around Amy's waist as he lay his head on her shoulder, his eyes drooping a little. Fred sat on the stairs, yawning and nursing a mug of tea. The Doctor had woken them only two hours after they'd all gone to bed, insisting that if they didn't come now, they might never see Lamoda. Apparently, it was a planet the Doctor had visited once decades – maybe centuries – ago but had never been able to find since.

The Doctor stopped twirling abruptly, as though he had just remembered something. "Ah. Speaking of customs...follow me."

* * *

><p>"Togas?" Rory held one up, pulling a face. "We have to wear <em>togas?<em>"

Amy and Fred however, didn't seem to share Rory's objections. The four of them stood on the upper level of the TARDIS wardrobe, searching through the inexplicitly large pile of togas scattered about their feet.

The Doctor waggled a finger at Rory. "There's nothing wrong with togas. Togas are cool."

Fred laughed, holding one up against her body and admiring herself in the mirror. "This is going to be _so_ much fun!"

* * *

><p>"Lamoda!" The Doctor bellowed, arms aloft, as they stepped out of the TARDIS.<p>

Fred gasped as she also stepped out and gazed at her surroundings. Diamond stars scattered across the midnight velvet sky and the earth beneath her bare feet was soft and crumbly. She curled her toes into it also sighed with pleasure. They had landed in a large garden of what looked like a Greek palace. Amy and Rory tumbled out of the TARDIS and also gaped at the stunning sight. The four of them stood there in the garden, silent and unmoving; soaking up the starlight and the sensual feeling of warm air on their bodies. The Doctor snapped out of it, clapping his hands.

"Right! We're all toga-ed up and ready to go!"

"Yes and, as a side note, you look ridiculous." Amy said, eyeing up his outfit. The Doctor was wearing a toga like the rest of them but he insisted on wearing his bow tie too.

"Bow ties are cool. Togas are cool. Bow-tie-togas _are cool_."

"Well you might feel _cool_ in your toga but I really don't." Rory murmured, hiding himself behind Amy.

Fred grinned and the Doctor pointed towards the light stone palace. "Come on then! Inside we go! My ears detect a party!"

The Doctor seized Fred and began leading her across the soft grass and along a small stone path, Amy and Rory scurrying along behind them. They all stopped and Fred gasped again, the Doctor beamed at her shocked face. On their left, there was a perfectly round pool of what looked like thick, silvery water. Above it, small glowing flies were fluttering and small flickering lights surrounded it.

"Amazing isn't it?"

The other three nodded mutely. This whole place was incredible. The Doctor chuckled. "Come on. A party's calling!"

They all set off spirits high, the Doctor racing off ahead, agog with excitement. Just before Fred followed her friends, an odd feeling crawled up her spine. She turned and peered into the dark trees. It felt like someone was watching her. She looked from the trees to the glowing pond, her mind racing. Something suddenly felt familiar...

"Fred! You coming?" Amy called, breaking her trail of though. She smiled and hurried towards Amy, all ill thoughts pushed to the back of her mind.

* * *

><p>Inside was equally stunning. There were grand arches and marble floors everywhere and the inside was <em>packed<em> with various alien races. The Doctor gazed around, a joyous expression on his face. Fred could tell this was his idea of heaven; loads of races all gathered together and all getting on well.

"Look at this!" He cried, circling the main party room, winking and waving at people he didn't know. He stood in the middle of the room and grabbed a goblet off the passing tray and taking sip. He beamed as he swallowed. "Now _that's_ a drink! Not like that awful wine stuff you lot have."

Fred, Amy and Rory all seized a goblet too, drinking eagerly. But while Amy and Rory exclaimed at the taste, Fred felt like she'd tasted it before. She smiled too, nodding along as everyone else enthused about the drink and tried push back the truth that was rapidly forming in her mind.

The night continued in the same way; the Doctor bouncing from group of aliens to the other, chatting and laughing. The other three followed behind him, Amy and Rory laughing along with Fred trying to hide the unnerving feeling in her gut.

* * *

><p>Two hours in, the group became separated. They lost the Doctor in the crowd and decided to wait by the arched balcony. Amy and Rory began talking but Fred wasn't listening. She was peering into the dark to where the trees where. It felt like something was out there waiting for her.<p>

"Fred? Fred, are you alright?"

"Hmmm? Oh, yeah, yeah fine." Fred plastered a fake smile on her face.

Amy raised a suspicious eyebrow. "What is it?"

Fred let her facade drop, sighing heavily. "I think...I think I've been here before. In fact, I'm _sure_ I've been here before."

"With the Master?"

Fred nodded, grimly. "And you can't tell the Doctor. Please! Anything about the Master bothers him and he's so happy right now. I don't want to spoil his mood." Both Ponds nodded and Fred added, "I think we should get out of here. Something feels...odd."

"Alright. Come on, we'd better find the Doctor. God knows what he's up to."

The three of them began pushing their way through the crowd, searching faces until Rory pointed, "There he is!"

The Doctor was leaning against the stone wall, surrounded by a large group of people all hanging on his every word.

"...so I said, 'You'd better be able to back that up because I know I can!" And you can imagine what his response was to that!"

Everyone around him laughed heartily and the Doctor grinned, loving being the centre of attention. He spotted the his friends and cried,

"Ponds! There you are!" He pushed his way out of the group. "Where's Fred?"

"She's behind us..." Rory trailed off, realising she was nowhere to be seen. "Errr, well she was."

* * *

><p>Fred found herself pushing her way down the grand corridors hurrying towards the extensive garden outside. She felt breathless, like she needed to get out of this place and back into the TARDIS where everything was safe and comfortable. Her legs weren't going as fast she wanted them to and she was almost tripping over herself to get out.<p>

It was an odd feeling to be so utterly panicked by her location. Of all the dangerous places she'd been, she had to be the most terrified of a stunning planet full of lovely people. But there was something here, she was sure of it. Something she desperately didn't want the Doctor to see.

She finally reached the TARDIS, breathless and relieved. She leaned against the familiar, wooden doors and sighed, feeling the fresh sweat cool on her skin. As her mind calmed, she sighed and closed her eyes. Just when she thought she had regained control of herself, there was the snap of a twig behind her. Her eyes shot open and her knuckles turned white on the TARDIS doors.

_Just ignore it,_ she thought. _It's probably just a bird._

Then there was a whistle. Not the whistle of a bird but the whistle of a person.

_Just wait here. Don't turn around. Don't try and find him._

But she couldn't resist. She turned slowly and edged around the TARDIS, eyes wide. She saw something white dart between the trees. Unable to stop herself, she started walking towards it. Her panic slid away and adrenaline began pulsing through her.

There, in the dark behind an ancient, thick tree was the Master. His face broke into a grin, his dark eyes shining and his white hair looked so bright it seemed like it was nearly glowing. She stared at him, fascinated.

"I've been waiting for you here for a long time. I was starting to think you'd never arrive."

* * *

><p>"Why was she so desperate to go?" The Doctor asked as they hurried out of the palace.<p>

"Well, she just...she just had a bad feeling about this place." Amy said, not wanting to break her promise to Fred but also wanting to appease the Doctor.

The Doctor stopped suddenly, staring at both of them intently. Then it dawned on him. "She's been here before hasn't she?"

They both nodded.

"She didn't want us to tell you." Rory answered. "She thought you'd be upset."

The Doctor snorted. He wasn't sure if he was angry or sad. Maybe he was both.

Then he spotted her in the distance, half-hidden between the trees. Relief coursed through him: she was alright. As they moved towards her, they saw who she was with.

The Master's eyes left Fred and met the Doctor's. A tense silence fell over them all. Fred looked from one Time Lord to the other.

"Well, Doctor. Looks like you've developed a bit of a harem." The Master said, casually leaning against the tree.

"What are you doing here?" The Doctor asked, his jaw clenched.

"Oh, we were just having a chat." The Master turned back to Fred, a smile dancing around his lips. "About old times and times yet to come." The Master's eyes glittered dangerously.

The Doctor shook his head. "You have to come with us now, Master. I can't leave you alone. I can't trust you."

The Master laughed incredulously. "That's you all over, isn't it Doctor? You always think people will just do as you say. You should know me better by now." He backed away from them, raising his arm up to his chest."I'll be seeing you soon, Winifred. Everything's going to plan." He taped the buttons on the vortex manipulator and he was gone.

The Doctor nearly cursed. He was so sick of this. He hated the Master being loose in the universe because it usually meant he was up to something dangerous and destructive. The Doctor found it hard to rest when he was free.

"Doctor – " Fred began, reaching out for him.

The Doctor evaded her grasp, stalking back to the TARDIS. "Not now." He growled.

The others followed at a slower pace. None of them were looking forward to being in his company tonight. When they entered, the Doctor paid them no attention, too lost in his own thoughts.

Fred decided that bed was probably the best idea. As she climbed the stairs, the Master's words came back to her; the ones he'd spoken before the others had interrupted them.

"_You won't want to be with him forever. You won't love him always. He'll let you down. He lets us all down in the end."_

* * *

><p>I know that one was a bit darker than these usually are but I thought it was a needed development!<p>

Please leave me a review and tell me what you think!


	7. Cosmic Gossip

A/N: Hey guys! I'll be updating 'Parted Minds' soon but I had to get this little one shot out of my head first! I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks to all who reviewed the last one:

**Mrs. 11****th****, MayFairy, padmay97, alyssa love, Simpa007, Shifuni** and **Brownbug.**

* * *

><p><strong>Cosmic Gossip<strong>

Fred was just lounging about in her room one evening aboard the TARDIS when there was a knock at her door. She tensed, wondering if it was the Doctor. It was eight days after their encounter with the Master and things were only now beginning to get back to normal. She padded across to the door in her small shorts, vest and slippers and pulled it open.

It was Amy. Fred found herself breathing a sigh of relief; as much as she loved the Doctor's company, things still weren't quite right between them. Amy smiled and peered into the room.

"It's much tidier since I was last here."

Fred shot her a confused look. "When were you in here?"

Amy sighed, not sure how to respond. "Errr, that's complicated."

Fred studied her friend before stepping aside and saying, "Then you'd better come in and tell me." Amy seemed unsure until Fred said, "I have two tubs of ice cream in the freezer."

Amy shot inside.

* * *

><p>"...and he went mad. Seriously mental. I've never seen him like that before or since." Amy said, leaning against a pink worktop as she finished the story of how she first discovered Fred's room and her diary.<p>

Fred flushed slightly and tried to hide her discomfort by saying, "I'm sure he'd be like that with anyone."

Amy snorted. "Yeah, right!"

Fred opened her mouth, about to disagree before she realised she didn't know what to say. She shovelled a spoonful of cherry ice cream in her mouth instead, still feeling a little embarrassed. She'd never really thought about how the Doctor felt when they were separated seventeen months ago (was that really all? Just seventeen months? It felt like so much more); she had been too caught up in her own misery at the time, thinking that the Doctor had left her to die on purpose. She felt moved by the Doctor's rage when he discovered Amy had been in her room. She felt more moved by the fact he had kept her room exactly as she had left it.

Did her go inside and think of her? Had he really missed her that much?

Amy grinned suddenly. "You must have made quite an impression on him when you were travelling together."

"If that's true, I really don't know how. We disagreed about some stuff quite massively."

"You mean that you were..." Amy trailed off.

"Trigger happy?" Fred finished, a slight smile on her face.

Amy stared at her for a moment before they both began to laugh. "Well, trigger happy or not, he seems to be very keen on you."

Fred made a face. "I don't know. We're just friends."

"Really? Because I've seen some stuff that would imply otherwise." Amy said mischievously.

Fred blanched. "What? What are you talking about?"

"I saw you two having a _kissy kissy._"

There was a tense pause before they both broke out into hysterics again.

"Kissy kissy? How old are we, Amy?" Fred spluttered.

Amy shook her head, still laughing. "I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me!"

"Kissy kissy has got to be the worst thing you've ever said." Fred said with mirth.

Amy thwacked her arm. "Shut up! And stop trying to change the subject! Tell me what's going on with you two! I saw you snogging that night you were bowling."

Fred sighed. She couldn't argue with fact. "To be honest, Amy, I don't know what's going on. One minute we're so close and then it's like we barely know each other. Like now. Things are so strained."

Amy sympathised. "I know. But we all know why that is, don't we?"

Fred nodded. "The Master. It bothers him. He seems to be worrying about him all the time. It bothers him that he can't see what he's doing. I think the Doctor would love it if he'd change and come with us but that's never going to happen. It's hard to imagine they were once friends."

They fell into silence for a moment, both lost in thought before Amy ventured, "Yeah but that's not all, is it?"

Fred frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on! It's _obvious_ that he's bothered about the relationship you and the Master had."

"Is it?" Fred said, surprised and unconvinced.

"Yes! Have you seriously not noticed?"

Fred shook her head.

"As soon as he saw the Master with you on Lamoda he looked so angry. And not just because the Master escaped him. It's like every time he sees him it reminds him of when you were apart and how much it hurt him. Both of you."

Fred swallowed her ice cream and considered what Amy had said. She had never thought of it like that; she'd always thought the Doctor's torment was to do with the Master and the Master alone. To think that he may be jealous was...odd. And it made her heart flutter a little. She cleared her throat.

"Yeah, well. That's all over now. All in the past."

"Is it?" Amy shot back. "Is it over between you two?"

Fred froze. "Me and the Master?" Amy nodded, intrigued to hear her answer. Fred hesitated before continuing, "No. No I don't suppose it is over." Amy raised her eyebrows so high they nearly disappeared into her hairline. Fred noticed her surprised expression and explained her answer. "It's nothing...romantic. It's like a sort of competition now. As soon as I betrayed him he started to actually respect me. I think he likes the danger and the games we play."

"And so do you." Amy said, her tone bordering on disappointment. Fred couldn't deny it.

"Yes, I do." She said quietly. "I can't help it. All the time I'm away from him, I tell myself I won't play his games anymore but whenever I see him...he's like a magnet. I can't resist."

Amy studied her friend again. Fred felt uneasy; she liked Amy a lot and she didn't want to disappoint her with the truth but neither did she want to distract her with a lie. After a moment of tense silence, Amy dropped the subject of the Master to Fred's relief and said through a mouth full of ice cream;

"This is a really nice kitchen, by the way." She gestured around the room with her spoon.

Fred glanced around, smiling. "Yeah, it is, isn't it? I love all the pastel colours and the gadgets are so cool! Look at this," She hurried over to the other side of the kitchen and came back with a small silver device. "It's a something called a _pemne_ according to the Doctor. When there's a mess after I've made some food, I switch this on and it scurries around eating up all the leftovers! How cool's that?"

"Ooh, that is pretty awesome. But how do you get it to stop eating once it's started?"

Fred made a face. "Yeah, that is a problem. Yesterday, it got into my knicker drawer and there are loads of holes in my underwear now!"

Amy chuckled before looking around the kitchen again and whistling. "Now how come you get a lovely new kitchen and Rory and I don't?"

Fred shrugged. "The Doctor gets lazy. Once he's done something, he doesn't want to do it again; he's already bounced onto a new thing."

Amy seemed to consider this. "Hmmm, true. Or maybe...well, you haven't performed any _favours_ for him have you?" She asked half in seriousness and half in jest.

"Amy!" Fred cried, hitting her with her spoon. "Honestly! It's a good job I'm not easily embarrassed."

Amy grinned and winked at her as there was a knock on Fred's bedroom door again. Rory poked his head inside.

"The Doctor wants us all in the console room. Something about killer flowers and friendly aliens." Rory rolled his eyes and beckoned for the two women to follow him. They put the small amount ice cream they had left back in the freezer and followed Rory out of the door and down the hexagonal corridors. Just as they reached the console room, Fred grabbed Amy's arm and whispered,

"Don't tell _anyone_ about our conversation just now. Especially _him_." She gestured towards the Doctor who greeted them all with a cry of,

"Come on you lot! We've got some murderous tulips on our tails!"

Amy and Fred shared a bemused glace before hurrying down the steps and joining the Doctor. Fred watched him rush here and there, pressing buttons and pulling levers, and wondered if Amy was right. But for now, she pushed the thought to the back of her mind and tried to focus. After all, they _were_ being hunted by murderous tulips.

* * *

><p><em>I hope you liked reading that as much as I liked writing it. I really wanted to write a bonding conversation between Amy and Fred because I imagine they'd get on pretty well!<em>

_Please leave a review!_


	8. By Candlelight

A/N: Hello all! I come bearing a very Fred/Doctor fluffy one-shot with a healthy (and rather cheeky) dose of Amy/Rory! It's pretty long for me as I don't usually write anymore than about 2,000 words per chapter/oneshot (it isn't intentional; my writing just seems to naturally tail off about then!)

Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed the last one-shot, **Simpa007, Shifuni, padmay97, alyssa love, Mrs 11th **and **MayFairy!** Thanks chums!

* * *

><p><strong>By Candlelight<strong>

"What? What do you mean 'ill'? How can the TARDIS be 'ill'?" Fred shouted to the Doctor whilst clinging onto the TARDIS' console.

"She may be a ship but she's still a living thing, Fred." The Doctor bellowed back over the loud whirring and screeching of the TARDIS' panic.

It had begun that morning. Fred had awoken to a strange, pitiful whimper coming from everywhere and nowhere. Meeting the Doctor in the console room, she had opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong (as something so evidently was from the noises and the deep frown on the Doctor's face); the TARDIS had started to shake violently.

"How do we help?" Fred asked, still clinging desperately to the railing.

"There's not much we can do." The Doctor called but, despite his words, he was still frantically turning the hot and cold water taps on and off and typing unknown words into the typewriter. The noise grew louder and louder, making Fred wince. There was an almighty shudder and a blanket of silence was thrown over them. Everything went black.

"Doctor?" Fred called into the darkness, getting shakily to her feet. "Doctor?"

"I'm here, I'm here!" A response came from the black. "Stay there...I'll go and find the emergency lights."

There was a horrible minute when Fred was left entirely alone and then, when her isolation was beginning to really bother her, a flickering light appeared from around the corner, the Doctor beaming behind it.

Fred gaped. "A candle? Your emergency lights are _candles_?"

The Doctor's face fell a little. "What's wrong with the candles?"

Fred gave a small laugh. "Nothing, it's just...I can't believe that even at this advanced level of technology, you still rely on candles when there's a power cut."

The Doctor gave her a cheeky grin, lit another candle and handed it to Fred in a small golden holder. She thanked him and looked around helplessly.

"So what do we do now? Can we make her feel better? Make her feel more comfortable at least?"

Despite the situation, the Doctor couldn't help but smile. The TARDIS seemed to have taken a liking to Fred, letting her into system further than she had let anyone, other than the Doctor of course, for a long time. He shook his head.

"No, she's healing herself. This temporary shut down is her way of ensuring the illness doesn't get any worse. There is a virus that affects living ships called Luctortec; it's very rare but it can be fatal. Thankfully, the old girl knows what to do. She's had this before a few hundred years ago. Nothing to worry about this time though. I've scanned her and she seems alright. Like the human equivalent of having a cold."

"So this shut down is her version of snuggling up under a blanket with some soup and trashy TV?" Fred said, leaning against the console.

"Exactly!" The Doctor exclaimed. "So all we have to do now is wait." The Doctor's face fell a little when he realised they were stuck for the foreseeable future. He stood, hands on hips and looked around him, jutting out his bottom lip whilst he thought.

Fred laughed and he frowned. "What?"

Fred shook her head, still laughing. "Doctor, stop trying to think of some way around this; just relax for a while."

The Doctor nodded, his hair flopping into his eyes. "Right, yes. Relaxing. I can do that."

Fred watched him and slid down to sit on the floor, her back resting against the rail. She brought the candle up to rest on her knees; without the power on, there was a slight chill in the air.

"Amy and Rory!" The Doctor cried, relieved to have found something to preoccupy him. "Better find Amy and Rory!" He reached inside his tweed jacket and pulled out a small phone. He pressed two buttons and Amy's voice crackled out.

"Doctor? Doctor, what's going on?"

"Ponds!" The Doctor said, grinning into the phone. "You alright?"

"We're fine but we're stuck in our room! What's going on?"

"The TARDIS is ill, bless her. She'll be fine but she needs to shut down for a few hours to recover. You two are comfortable where you are?"

"Yeah, we're fine." Amy responded with a slight giggle in her voice. Fred grinned to herself when she realised why Amy and Rory hadn't left their room when the TARDIS had started to shake. Ever naive, the Doctor carried on,

"Why didn't you come down when you heard the noise she was making? The whole place was shaking! Why didn't you come to the console room?"

"Errr..." Amy trailed off and Fred could hear Rory in the background stage-whispering, "_Make something up!_"

"Umm, we weren't...ready...we were...washing." Amy said, very unconvincingly.

"Oh, right." The Doctor sounded bemused but he let it slide. "Well, stay comfy...it shouldn't be too long before we're up and running again."

The phone crackled again and the line cut off. A heavy silence fell over the console room again; it was odd not to hear the whirr of the TARDIS engine in the background. The Doctor paced back and forth, desperate for something to do. Fred sighed and stood up saying,

"I'll make us some tea."

Twenty minutes later, the Doctor had finally settled down a little and sat next to Fred on the floor, resting his back against the rail as they sipped their tea. Fred's foot tapped nervously against the floor; she knew what she wanted to say, what she wanted to ask but she didn't know if she dared to.

"Doctor, are you – what was that?"

Fred squinted through the faint flickering light at the console, the whole room had felt like it had titled on its side and she was sure something had moved in front of her. The Doctor looked at her and then at the console. It seemed perfectly normal to him.

"I thought I just saw it...change." Fred said, half believing herself to be mad. The Doctor took another sip of tea and Fred was just about to continue when the console changed again. This time, the Doctor saw it too.

"Hey!" The Doctor cried, pointing at it. "That was one of my old consoles!"

The room titled again, and this time it stayed that way for a few moments. Fred stood and stared at the room; it was so unfamiliar yet so familiar all at once.

"It's so...weird. And it goes so high up!"

It was odd to see another console room; she knew the Doctor had had different faces and the TARDIS had had different interiors but before now she never had cause to think of it. This console room was an odd mixture of high tech and vintage smoking room. The console itself was still as advanced as ever but around it was smooth, dark wood and worn antique rugs with an old armchair opposite her. She just turned back to the Doctor to ask him about it when the whole titled again. Fred looked back at the console and saw the one she was familiar with. She back down next to the Doctor and took another swig of tea.

"The TARDIS must be having trouble keeping all of the timelines separate, poor girl. Let's just hope she doesn't let a future one in."

Thankfully, the TARDIS seemed to settle back down again after that and Fred began her question again.

"Doctor, are you alright?" The Doctor tensed a little next to her but he beamed and said,

"Of course I am!"

Fred sighed. "No, I mean, are you _really_ alright? After what happened with the Master?"

The Doctor groaned. He had hoped they were done with this. He didn't want to talk about it and neither did he want to be reminded of the relationship the Master had with Fred. It irritated him a great deal and he wasn't really sure why. At first he had just thought he was concerned for her (knowing how destructive the Master's presence could be) but he was sure that was it quite it.

"I'm fine. Really. I'm just concerned."

"I know. We all are. God knows what he's doing; he said '_everything's going to plan_'. What does that mean? What plan?"

"I suppose we'll find out soon." He didn't know whether he was disappointed or relieved that she didn't understand that the Master wasn't all he was concerned about. Should he be thankful that she didn't seem to realise he was far more concerned about her and how she was dealing with the Master's looming presence?

"We should try not to worry." Fred said to assure herself more than the Doctor. "I'm sure everything'll be fine. We'll just have to tackle it when it comes, if I'm still here of course."

The Doctor looked at her, alarmed. "Why wouldn't you be here?"

"Doctor, I'm not an idiot! I know you change companions fairly often. I'm not expecting to live out all of my days in here."

The Doctor's mind raced and crushing disappointment and inevitable truth hit him like a sledgehammer. In the end all he could manage was an, "Oh. Right." He didn't want her to go.

Ever.

Was she planning to leave? He hoped not. In truth, he hadn't even considered the idea of leaving until now. What had he thought would happen? That she could somehow live on forever with him? Of course she couldn't. It wasn't possible. She would fade, she would die before him and he would be left all alone. Again. He was always left alone, wasn't he? In the end, it was just him and his TARDIS, his old girl. That thought had always been enough to get him through. Now? Now he wasn't sure. He rested his head on the cold rail behind him and sighed.

If only Fred were a Time Lady. That would solve all of his problems. Well, most of them, anyway. Fred shifted a little closer to him so their legs were touching.

"But I'm not planning on leaving any time soon." She rested her head on his shoulder and he smiled and rested his head on top of hers. All of sudden, Fred jumped and they knocked heads.

"Ow!" The Doctor clutched his forehead, frowning. Fred however, only gave him a vague apology. She was staring into the dim light.

"Doctor, I think someone's here." She whispered. "I saw them move."

The Doctor slowly got to his feet and helped Fred to hers, trying to make as little noise as possible. He edged around the console cautiously, Fred behind him holding onto his hand. Finally, they came to the edge of the platform and saw the figure. He felt Fred gasp behind him but the Doctor relaxed and laughed.

"Don't worry, it's just me!"

Fred looked at the figure again. It definitely wasn't the Doctor she knew so she supposed it must be one of his previous regenerations. The man looked fairly old, with longish white hair and dark clothes.

"That's...you?"

"Yep!" The Doctor bounded down the stairs, enthused by this new development. "That's my first face! Good isn't it? Very wise, very knowledgeable. Have to say, people took me a bit more seriously when I looked older. Even though I was younger."

When the Doctor came to face to face with his first self, he immediately started to grumble. "I'm not moving! Seems I'm just a body; no soul in there." He tapped his first self's head. "Nope, nothing. Now, that's a shame. I'd love a good meet up! All eleven together! Now that would spectacular!"

"Doctor! There's more!"

The other incarnations of the Doctor had appeared around them, all with their eyes open and motionless.

"So, none of them can hear us or see us? And none of them can see us?"

"'Fraid not." He waved his hand in front of the face of a figure with tight curly hair and a spotted tie. "They're all just my bodies. Like shells."

Fred wandered around them, holding the candle out in front of her so she could see better. "Wow. They all look so different." She stopped at one and grinned. "Look at your ears here!" She flicked them and the Doctor cried,

"Oi! Leave my ninth set of ears alone!"

She laughed and moved onto another, gasping. "You wore a bow tie before! It's much more extravagant than the one you wear now." She played with the third Doctor's bow tie, marvelling at the velvet before the Doctor almost shouted with excitement.

"Look at this! Best scarf in the universe!" Fred's Doctor was stood in front of a very tall man with wild hair and an incredibly long scarf around his neck.

"That is a pretty good scarf." She looked up the man again and smiled. She had no idea why she was smiling so broadly, but this incarnation seemed to do that to her. She immediately wished he would spring to life just for a few moments so she could see what he was like, how he spoke, how he moved. "Which incarnation is he?"

"That's my fourth body." The Doctor was beaming too. "One of my favourites I think. Ate a lot of jelly babies with those teeth."

Fred stepped back and said, "Right, which ones are which? Talk me through them!"

"Alright!" The Doctor rubbed his hands together with glee. "Well, you know that's my first one over there. That bloke sat down on the step with the dark hair, the little bow tie and the recorder is the second one. The one you were looking at just now with the rather wonderful velvet bow tie is my third and you know my forth...that's still such a great scarf. That rather handsome dandy in cricket whites is my fifth. I had a bit of boyish charm then, much like now actually." He grinned at Fred who just laughed and rolled her eyes. "Right, yes, moving on. That one by the kitchen is my sixth one...the one with the very curly hair and great clothes, see him? The short one with the hat and the umbrella is my seventh one; that was such a great umbrella. Must get that out again. The one with the longish hair and a cravat sat on the chair by the console is my eighth one. You've already manhandled my ninth one..."

The Doctor carried on but Fred zoned out, not intentionally but she had suddenly become incredibly distracted by the eighth Doctor who was just a few feet from her.

"My tenth one's over there by the door. Great hair _and _shoes! And then...who's next?" He twirled in a circle, searching. "Oh, me! Me of course! I'm the next one!"

He turned to Fred who had been beside him only to find she had gone. "Fred? Where – "

"You didn't tell me you'd been _this_ handsome!" Fred was grinning whilst sprawled on the lap of his eighth incarnation, apparently enjoying herself, as she fiddled with his cravat. "Why didn't I have this version?"

"Oi!" The Doctor cried, feeling oddly hurt. "What are you trying to say? Aren't I _dashing_ enough for you?" He watched her fondle his eighth self's hair and jacket and scowled. He felt jealous of...himself. That was new.

Fred slid off his lap and back towards the Doctor without a backwards glance. "Oh, of _course_ you are!" She wrapped her arms around his middle and cuddled him. The Doctor wanted to make her feel guilty but he found that he didn't have the willpower. She was so nice to cuddle, all warm and soft.

The TARDIS gave a tremendous _thud_ and they broke apart, clinging onto the rail until she steadied herself. Eventually, all became quiet and they let go. The incarnations began disappearing, the TARDIS had evidently sorted her timelines. Just before the eight Doctor disappeared, Fred rushed over to him and pecked his cheek.

"Goodbye, handsome." She said, mock-mournfully as he disappeared. She heard the Doctor, _her_ Doctor huff behind and smiled.

"I'll have you know that I'm still considered to be pretty handsome! You know, I went to one planet and they all started worshipping me! Ask Amy and Rory, they'll back me up! Honestly! They all kept trying to marry me off with their daughters. It was great fun! Course, I didn't marry any of them. Well, maybe one or two but I'm sure it was only legal on that planet!"

"Doctor..." Fred said softly, standing close to him.

"So...yes! I'm still considered to be pretty blooming handsome. I've been told I've got a certain loveable charm that some women just can't resist – "

"Doctor!" Fred pressed a finger to his lips and he finally ceased talking. "You don't convince me that you're lovely."

She moved her finger and before he could talk again, she kissed him. He remained rigid with surprise for a moment before melting into it and pulling her against him. She really was so very soft and warm which was exceedingly pleasant when stuck in the cold, hard console room. Her arms moved up to wrap themselves around his neck and he gripped her waist as he, rather bravely in his opinion, nudged her lips apart with his tongue. To his relief, she complied very willingly and he felt her smile slightly against his lips. He knew he should stop, he knew that getting involved like this was never a good idea. It always gave him hope that maybe he wouldn't necessarily end up alone. It gave him hope that he might one day find someone to travel the stars with forever. He should definitely stop. However, seemingly determined to change his mind, Fred pushed her hips against his and all thoughts of stopping ceased as an involuntary growl of pleasure escaped him.

"Oh, don't mind us." A voice said from the stairs behind them.

The Doctor and Fred jumped and parted quickly, both flushed with embarrassment and desire. When they looked, Amy and Rory were stood on the stairs, watching the scene they had interrupted with intense amusement. Fred glanced around and realised with a start that the lights and the power had come back on and they hadn't even noticed.

"Ponds!" The Doctor cried, trying to cover up the awkward tension. "Glad to see you've escaped the awful clutches of...your bedroom." He finished lamely.

Amy opened her mouth, about to deliver a comment about what had been going on in the console room but Fred cut across her smoothly,

"Yes, good to see you both. You must have been very preoccupied with your _'washing'_ to not have come down. My room's further away than yours and I _still_ managed to make it down here in time."

Rory opened and closed his mouth while Amy fixed Fred with a worried and simultaneously angry glare. There was a moment of quiet, the Doctor looking from one companion to another, not understanding the situation.

Finally, Amy pasted a smile onto her face and said, "So, where are we off today? That planet with seas of yoghurt?"

The Doctor whooped and began twirling and striding about, pressing buttons and muttering about flavourings and Rory wandered off for some breakfast. Amy grabbed Fred's arm and murmured,

"Well played Knight. We're _so_ going to talk about this later. And I want all the gossip! Don't leave any of it out!"

They both shared a grin and the Doctor called,

"Come on, you two! Stop standing there being useless and get helping! She's still a bit unstable so the landing might be a little off!"

"Isn't it always?" Fred muttered to Amy.

"Oi! I heard that!"

* * *

><p><em>Eeee! I hope you liked reading that one-shot; it was a hoot to write!<em>

_Please leave a review and expect a new chapter of 'Parted Minds' soon!_


	9. The Most Terrifying Thing

A/N: Hey all! Here's another little (or in this case not-so-little) one shot for you! When I first had the idea for this one shot series, this was one of my first ideas and I've been desperate to write it for ages! I _love_ the Doctor and Rory's relationship...I always laugh at their conversations. Their bromance is one of the best things to grace Doctor Who! So there's plenty of that in here and a good measure of Doctor/Fred too which gets a little steamier than I had intended but the Fred wandering around in my brain told me that if I was going to write them kissing, they may as well go for a big session!

Anyway, thanks to **kie, MayFairy, alyssa love, Mrs. 11th **and **Olive Russell **for their reviews of the last one shot!

* * *

><p><span>The Most Terrifying Thing<span>

The Doctor was restless. His three companions were bustling about him, chatting and prodding buttons on the console. He wasn't listening to what they were saying; he didn't even tell them off for touching his beloved console. He was too preoccupied. He had something very important to ask them. Well, one of them. He just needed to get them on their own.

They had spent all day exploring a jungle planet, mostly having to outrun large, flying insects but the views were worth it. The orange sky at the edge of the jungle was spectacular and the natives were extremely welcoming, even if they did have to eat rather repulsive meals to be polite. They had returned to the TARDIS pleased, muddy and very jolly. As fun as the day had been, the Doctor was unable to take his mind off the events of last week. The TARDIS' previous illness had made her scatty of late and the Doctor felt the same. He was scatty because he didn't understand what he felt. And there was only one way to find out.

He was pulled from his thoughts when his three friends all began moving; Amy set off up the stairs, saying she needed a shower and a change of clothes before bed. Fred followed and the Doctor watched them chatting and laughing as they disappeared from sight. Rory wandered after them, muttering something about checking his pants for insects but he only managed to get halfway up the stairs before the Doctor raced after him and pulled on his arm. Rory turned around, surprised.

"What?"

The Doctor just looked at him, his mind suddenly blank. He opened and closed his mouth but nothing came out. Rory nodded in encouragement.

"What is it, Doctor? Something wrong with the TARDIS? With Amy?" These suggestions received no reaction. Rory tried again. "With you?"

"Yes!" The Doctor pointed at him, approving of Rory's guess. "Sort of. There's sort of...something wrong with me."

"Err, ok. So...what? You want me to help because I'm a nurse?"

The Doctor snorted. "Golly, no. I think I know more about my body than you do, Rory. Frankly, I think I know more about _your_ body than you do." He noticed Rory's offended expression. "But that's really not the point. There _is_ something wrong with me but it's not really – oh shall I put this? It's not really _physical_."

"Ok..." Rory said, hoping the Doctor would get to the point. He swore he could feel something crawling in his pants.

"There's something wrong with me – well, I say wrong. It's not wrong really but it's wrong for me. Well, not wrong _exactly_ but it's not normal. It's not normal for me, it may be normal for others but it's not normal for me. Well, I say not normal, it has _happened_ obviously – "

"Doctor!" Rory held up his hands. "Stop! Just tell me what you want to ask me."

"Ah, yes, right. Well, I need your help. Well, not _help_...more advice – "

"Doctor!"

"Right, yes, sorry! I want to know..."

"What?"

"I want you to tell me how to deal with liking someone."

Rory stared. "What? I don't understand."

"I need you to tell me how to be...romantic."

Rory's eyes widened. "Oh, no! Oh, god no!" He raced off up the stairs, wanting to get away. "No, no, no! We _cannot_ have this conversation!"

The Doctor pulled on his arm again, halting him at the top of the stairs. "Why not? I can't talk to anyone else about this!"

"Can't you talk to Amy? She's good with stuff like this! Not me, though, Doctor, anyone but me!"

"Why not you? You're married aren't you? You must have done something right! Married to Amy no less, who – let's be honest – is way out of your league so you must have some..."

"Some what?" Rory huffed, trying to ignore the Doctor's insult.

"Some...you know..." The Doctor grinned and did an odd sort of swagger. "_Moves_."

"Moves?" Rory repeated incredulously.

"Yeah, you know – oh forget it! Will you help me or not?"

Rory groaned. He _really_ didn't want to. But deep down he already knew he'd lost this battle. The Doctor usually got his way and when he didn't, he'd whine about it until his companions caved in. Damn him and his whining. Rory opened his mouth to respond, his mind reluctantly made up when he noticed the Doctor had become rather flustered and flushed while looking alarmed at something over Rory's shoulder.

He turned and saw Fred wandering down the corridor towards them, scantily clad in her little cotton playsuit ready that she wore to bed and her wild hair in a messy bun on the top of her head. By the time she reached them, an odd silence had overcome both of the men. She looked from one to the other, suspicious.

"What are you doing?"

The Doctor badly feigned a look of innocence. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, why are you two stood at the top of the stairs in deathly silence?"

"We weren't! We were having a chat, weren't we Rory?"

Rory nodded awkwardly. Fred tried to stifle a grin.

"Really? And what were you talking about?"

"Man's stuff." Rory said, while the Doctor said, at the same time, "Knitting."

Fred looked from one to the other as the two men glared at each other. "Right. So you were talking about man's stuff _and_ knitting?"

"Well, actually, knitting is quite manly. I myself am an accomplished knitter." The Doctor said, puffing out his chest with pride.

Fred gave a soft laugh and patted him on the chest, "Yes, dear but I don't think you're much of a spokesperson for manliness." She turned on her heel and trotted down the stairs, calling over her shoulder, "I just forgot my book for bed. Must have left it in the swimming pool somewhere. I'll leave you two to your knitting. Manly knitting."

And she wandered past the console and down the corridor on the floor below them.

"What did she mean I'm not a 'spokesperson for manliness'? I'm manly!" The Doctor cried as soon as she was out of ear shot.

"I'm not sure it's me you need to convince." Rory said, raising his eyebrows at the Doctor who flushed.

"Yes...well. I _suppose _this may – MAY – be about...her..." The Doctor trailed off and hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his trousers before belatedly gesturing after Fred. Rory rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, alright I get it, Doctor! I'm not a complete idiot."

"Alright! No need to get all touchy! So..."

"So what?"

"_Will you help me?"_ The Doctor hissed, his patience running thin.

Rory groaned, rubbing his eyes. "I don't suppose I have much of a choice do I?"

"That's the spirit!" The Doctor jokingly punched his arm and patted him on the shoulder.

"So what do you want me to do?" Rory asked, desperate to get this over with.

The Doctor immediately descended into awkwardness. "Er, well...I, er..."

"Doctor! For pity's sake! I'm tired! I want to go to bed! And I think some insects are making a nest in my pants! Just tell me what you want to know and I'll tell you!"

"Alright, alright!" The Doctor hissed, furtively glancing down the stairs to check Fred wasn't on her way back up. "Keep your voice down!" He paused for a moment before finally saying, "I suppose what I want to know is...how can I be romantic?"

Rory gave this question some tentative thought before asking, "What sort of 'romantic' do you mean? Like wooing or...you know..."

"No, what?"

Rory cringed. "You know...intimate stuff."

"Oh!" The Doctor joined Rory in glowing red. "No, no, no, no! No. No, nothing like _that_. Wooing is much more what I was after, yes."

Rory puffed out a relieved breath. "Ok. Good."

"Tell me how to act on possible – and they're only _possible_ at the moment – feelings of romantic attachment."

"They're only 'possible'?" Rory repeated, unable to keep a disbelieving grin off his face. It was clear to both him and Amy that the Doctor and Fred were completely infatuated with each other even if they were both in denial about it. In fact, Amy hardly stopped voicing her desire for them to finally _'get it together'_.

"Yes, they're only possible! It's been quite a while since I've felt like this you know! I'm a bit...rusty on the old romance front."

"Right. So basically you want to do something that helps you find out what your feelings are towards her without being too full on...?"

"Yes!" The Doctor clapped his hands excitedly. "Yes! That exactly!"

"What are you so happy about?" Fred voice said from behind them as she trotted back up the steps, her bare feet barely making a sound. "New knitting pattern, Doctor?"

"What? Oh, yes, right. Ha-ha." The Doctor tensed slightly as she brushed past him and as she shot him such a devious look he wondered if she had brushed against him on purpose. He didn't get the chance to ask her though as she sashayed down the corridor before he could even think of a coherent sentence. He found his eyes drawn to the sway of her hips as she rounded the corner and vanished. The Doctor stared after her, his mind full of confusing thoughts and feelings before a loud and rather obtrusive clicking brought him back to the waking world.

"Doctor?" Rory clicked his fingers in the Doctor's face until he batted them out of the way. He grinned as the Doctor blushed again, horribly aware that Rory had caught him watching her. "So these feelings are just _'possible'_ are they?"

"Shut up." The Doctor growled.

Rory sniggered, feeling that he had the upper hand over the Doctor for once. "Alright, so you need to do something that has a reason behind it. Like – I dunno – maybe going to her room because there's a fault in the floor light on the floor above her and her room's got the best access...or something. You know? You need something that you can escape from if you need to but enables you to be close to her on her own."

"Yes! Yes, yes! Good work, Rory! See?" He clapped Rory on the back. "I _knew_ you were the right man to ask."

"You know, I don't think you need to be too subtle about it. I mean, it's pretty obvious she likes you."

"Is it?"

"Yes! I mean, look at just now! There was plenty of room but she chose to _brush_ past you – "

"I noticed that too!" The Doctor cried, excited that he wasn't just making it all up in his head. "Was that flirting? It was flirting wasn't it? Was it?"

"Yes, yes it was." Rory said quickly, trying to stem the Doctor's stream of uncontrollable enthusiasm. "So why don't you go and see her in her room tonight? You know, make up an excuse and see if any more flirting happens? To be honest, I think most blokes start talking to girls because of a lie they made up."

"That's not very ethical."

"Maybe not but it's all we've got when we go for girls way out of our league." Rory began shoving the Doctor down the corridor retracing Fred's steps to her room.

"Do you think she's out of my league?" The Doctor asked, peering over his shoulder at Rory who continued to push him.

"I think you're quite well suited to look at...she's just much cooler than you."

"Hey!"

"Sorry, but she is." Rory didn't sound remotely apologetic. They rounded the corner and took the steps up to the floor above. They followed the winding corridor until they stood a few feet from Fred's bedroom door. They both looked at it for a moment before Rory slapped the Doctor's back and said, turning to leave,

"Well, here we are. Good luck!"

The Doctor suddenly froze and seized Rory's jumper, pulling him backwards. "No! You can't leave me! I don't know what I'm doing!"

Rory sighed, weary, and held the Doctor by his shoulders. "Doctor, listen: Fred – and don't you ever tell Amy I've said this because you know what she's like – Fred's...well, you know."

"No I don't."

"Fred's...hot. She's sort of _sassy._"

"Sassy?"

"Yes! She's...sassy. She knows what she's doing with men – especially us clueless ones."

"Hey! I'm not clueless!"

"Yes we are, Doctor. We may as well admit it; we're the Kings of Clueless. And for us, approaching a woman we find attractive is the most terrifying thing in the universe."

The Doctor blanched. "Rory, how is this helping me?"

"I'm getting to it! What I mean is...us men who are completely clueless have no chance of being cool and sexy to women like Amy and Fred. So, we just have to rely on our cuteness to get us through."

"_Cuteness?_"

"Yeah. In case you haven't noticed Doctor, some women find men who are clueless cute. So we just need to accept that we can't be smooth and carry on being cute."

The Doctor took a moment to digest this before asking, "Right, so what you're saying is that I should stop trying to be sophisticated and just...carry on being awkward and slightly embarrassed and that'll still work? Because she'll think it's cute?"

"Yes."

"Oh." The Doctor nodded, impressed. "Fair play Rory, that's good advice."

"Pleasure." Rory knew the Doctor must be bad at romance if _he_ was able to give him advice. The Doctor stared at Fred's door again, thinking up his excuse to go in, one he knew she's fall for. Or one that was true.

"Thanks Rory. Go away now. I can't have you cramping my style."

Rory rolled his eyes. "Night, Doctor." He wandered back down the steps and along the corridor towards the room he shared with Amy. He laughed a little, thinking about how the Doctor didn't know that it wouldn't really matter what he did – Fred would probably still adore him anyway.

* * *

><p>Fred was just flicking through the channels on the television, marvelling at all of the alien programmes the TARDIS' signal could pick up, when someone knocked on the door three times. The first knock was quiet and there was a pause before the next two knocks which were much stronger. She clambered off her large bed and switched the television off, thinking it would be Amy at the door, wondering where Rory was.<p>

So she was surprised when she opened the door and the Doctor was stood there, an odd expression of confidence and fear on his face.

"Oh." Fred said, blinking. "What are you doing here?"

The Doctor momentarily couldn't speak before he remembered Rory's words. Awkwardness was cute...and all he needed was an excuse to get him inside and flirting with her. Maybe. "I, um...can't sleep."

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Not sleeping has never bothered you before."

"Um...that's true." The Doctor floundered. "But it's been a while since I've slept and I think it's about time that I did."

"Oh, right. And how can I help in your quest for sleep?" There was a twinkle in her eyes as she leaned against the door and tilted her head to the side as she studied him.

"Well...the last time I properly slept was when we fell asleep in the swimming pool. I mean, not the actual swimming pool, the seat by the window in the swimming pool room. It'd be silly if we'd slept _in_ the swimming pool – "

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, Doctor, I was there." Her amused expression faded into a concerned one. "That was the last time you slept? Doctor, that was ages ago!"

"I know! So that's why I thought you might be able to help."

She looked him for a moment, as though she was trying to work out what his real reason for coming to her door at night was. The Doctor gave her his best '_aren't I cute?'_ look and she grinned and stood back to let him in. As soon as he was inside, his stomach twisted with nerves and excitement. The whole room smelt of her; like dark cherries and vanilla. He breathed in, trying to inhale as much as he could.

"What are you doing?" Fred asked, stood near the door she had just closed with her arms folded.

"I was just...trying to relax. Trying to make myself sleepy."

"Nawww." She squeezed his cheeks together like an elderly aunt. She laughed and wandered past him to the bed, her torso brushing against him again. The Doctor's body tingled; surprised he could feel the warmth of her skin through his shirt. He sometimes forgot how much warmer humans were than Time Lords. He had to fight the overwhelming urge to put his arms around her and...

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Hmm?" The Doctor had zoned out.

"What can I do to help you sleep? Don't say 'talk' because I will not have it that I bore you." She said sternly.

"I wasn't going to say that!" He said defensively watching her sit on the soft bed and only just stopping himself from groaning at how wonderful she looked surrounded by the deep purple silk covers.

She flashed him another devious grin and tapped the bed. "Come on, sit down. I won't bite."

He gave an audible gulp and gingerly sat down on the edge of the bed, trying to accept his awkwardness might be cute. Indeed, it seemed that Fred didn't seem to find his lack of smoothness off-putting. He sat with his hands on his knees, not trusting himself to put them anywhere else in case he did anything wrong. She rolled her eyes, smiling, and grabbed his arm and pulling him back so he had to fidget to settle himself next to her against the pillows. His leg briefly touched her bare knee and he jerked it out of the way quickly. She noticed and laughed again.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you so nervous?"

The Doctor couldn't take it anymore; the truth burst from him in a scramble. "It's your fault! And Rory's! Making me all confused and making me talk about knitting and kings and swimming pools and now I don't know what I'm doing! And you making me talk to Rory about stuff! And then that flirting! You make me all confused!"

"I make you confused?"

"Yes, you do! And I don't like it! Or do I? I suppose I do. A bit! Just a bit! It's annoying and fun and exciting and terrifying and – "

"_What is?"_

"I don't know! It's just..._you!_ You make me feel unsettled but not bad! And I don't understand – "

Fred decided the only way to shut him up was to kiss him. She felt him freeze in shock and took the opportunity to move closer to him, using her arms around his neck to pull herself against his torso. After only a second's hesitation, he slid his arms around her waist, savouring her warmth against him. She pulled away barely an inch, their breaths still mingling between them.

"So me being a bit..._awkward_ isn't really a...problem?" He murmured, unable to pull his eyes away from her pink lips.

"Definitely not." Her mouth quirked up at the edges, a smile threatening to break out. "Awkward men are very..." She kissed him quickly. "Very..." She kissed him again. "Cute."

"Cute?" He repeated, brushing the end of his nose against hers. "Am I _cute_?"

She grinned fully. "Oh, yes."

They kissed again, his right hand snaking up her back into her wild hair. She moaned into his mouth, grinding her hips against his. He growled, pulling her hair a little. She nibbled on his bottom lip in revenge, making him start in surprise. His left hand, still around her waist, squeezed her. She shifted, straddling his long legs with her own, not breaking their lip contact. She nudged his lips with her tongue and he eagerly opened his mouth, sliding his own tongue into her warm mouth. She moaned again, her nails digging into his shoulders as he pulled her even closer. A millimetre of air between them felt like too much. He let himself drop back on the pillows, his arm around her hips pulling her with. She squealed, their lips parting for a second before she kissed him again but it was only a peck.

She lay on top of him for a while, smiling contentedly as she studied his face while he stroked her hair. Her hands slid across his chest before settling on his bow tie. He gave her a questioning look before she pulled it loose, tossing it onto the nightstand next to the bed. She started to fiddle with the buttons of his shirt and he halted her.

"What are you doing?" He spluttered, not sure if he wanted her to continue or not. How far did he want this to go?

She laughed, realising what her actions must look like. "Don't worry I'm not trying to have my way with you." The Doctor's face went crimson. "But you can't go to bed in a bow tie and braces."

"Oh. Well...yes, I suppose you're right."

She sighed gently before rolling off him, letting him finish his taking off his shirt, braces, boots and socks as she slid into bed, wiggling slightly in the warmth. He stumbled in next to her, feeling very exposed shirtless. Once he was settled next to her, she gazed at him with a soft smile on her face before pecking his lips once more and saying,

"Goodnight, Doctor."

She switched off the lights and they were plunged into darkness. It only took Fred a few minutes to start drifting off to sleep and just as she was on the brink, the Doctor's voice next to her woke her up again.

"Um, Fred...I still can't sleep. Maybe if you...lay a bit closer then I might be able to sleep."

Even in her woozy state, Fred couldn't help but laugh. She felt his arm slide around her waist and pull her closer. She snuggled against his chest, entwining her legs with his.

"See?" The Doctor said, his voice heavy with sleep. "That's much better already."

From then on, the Doctor never had any trouble sleeping.

* * *

><p><em>I loved writing that so I hope you loved reading it too!<em>

_The Christmas one shot will be up soon too; I'm thinking it will probably Christmas Eve._

_Thanks for reading and please leave a review...I've been suffering a serious dip in reviews lately and it's very disheartening!_


	10. An Eternal Christmas

A/N: Hello everyone! Here's the Christmas one shot I promised...expect a drunk Rory, cringey relatives and Fred and the Doctor cramming into a single bed!

Thanks to all who reviewed the last one shot: **MayFairy, Mrs 11th, kie1993, Simpa007, Muffin-Queen78, Olive Russell **and **alyssa love! **Extra chocolate for you!

* * *

><p><span>An Eternal Christmas<span>

"Can you wrap this for me?" Amy said wearily, holding up a box of chocolates to Fred who took them, happy to help seen as she had finished her own wrapping. Amy turned her gaze to her husband who was sat on their bedroom floor, attempting to stick a piece of tape on the present in front of him. "Are you nearly done?"

"Don't rush me!"

"Rush you?" Amy repeated, incredulous. "You've been trying to wrap that for an hour!"

Rory's only response was a grumble. Amy rolled her eyes but Fred could see the affection in them. She smiled to herself as she taped the wrapping paper around the box. As much as Fred has always thought that she wasn't really the settling down type, it was hard not to crave what Amy and Rory had.

"Christmas at home is going to be so great!" Amy said joyfully, organising the wrapped presents into corresponding piles.

"I know I can't wait." Fred was eager to spend a couple of days with her family; she never thought she'd miss her mum's fussing or her dad's bad jokes but she felt like they were what she needed right now. She could definitely do with a break from all this – if nothing else it would at least remind her how much she loved travelling.

"So the Doctor's dropping us off tomorrow which is Christmas Eve on Earth, right?" Rory asked, having finally stuck a piece of tape on the paper.

"That's what he said." Fred finished her present with a flourish.

"Yeah, I bit...worried about him." Amy confessed, a frown crossing her pretty face. Fred nodded.

"Me too."

"Worried?" Rory piped up. "Why?"

"Well it's Christmas and no one should be on their own at Christmas. I said he could come and stay with us in Leadworth for a couple of days but he said he had stuff to do. For god's sake, what does that even mean? Stuff?"

"I think it means – in Doctor terms – that he has things he wants to sulk about for a couple of days." Fred said, only just holding back a sigh.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Amy stood back and surveyed the piles of presents. "There. All done...except one."

"Finished!" Rory called on cue, pulling himself to his feet and handing Amy the present. Amy wandered over to the pile closest to the door and placed it on top, her wrist jangling as she walked. She looked down at her wrist, a smile breaking out.

"Thanks for this again." She said, fondling the charm bracelet Fred had given her. She glanced over her shoulder at Rory who was slightly pink-eared. "And thanks for getting Rory that bottle of wine. Looks like he's already been sampling it."

Fred chuckled. "No problem. And thanks for these shorts; I've wanted a pair like this for ages."

"Pleasure." Amy beamed, satisfied that her gift was liked. She glanced at Rory again who hiccupped and gave her a woozy smile. Amy half laughed, half winced. "I think we'd better get you to bed."

Fred grinned, watching Amy snuggle against a tipsy Rory as she left them to their sleep. She stood outside their door, her hands in her pockets, debating where to go next. She didn't feel like sleeping.

* * *

><p>"Oh...custard!" The Doctor mock-cursed, as the wires sparked above him sparked and scorched his hands. He shifted in the swinging seat, rooting around for his screwdriver. He pulled it out and soniced the wires. He tried to place the wires together again but they sparked even more wildly than before.<p>

"Whatcha doing?" Fred's voice called from behind him as he heard her descend the steps beneath the console. He craned his neck to see her wandering towards him in a small pair of high-waisted denim shorts and an oversized striped jumper, her wild hair pulled up into a messy bun on the top of her head. He grinned at the sight of her, so young and careless.

"I'm trying to re-root the taps on the console to control the cyniconting jeweribuncian which will let me lessen the amount of coveine we experience while we travel."

Fred looked up at him, her green eyes wide before she blinked and said, "Right. I didn't understand a word of that but...right."

The Doctor chuckled.

"Can I help?" Fred offered lightly. "I'm bored and Amy and Rory are napping." She stuck her bottom lip out a little and looked at him through her lashes, trying to make herself seem all innocent and naive.

The Doctor was surprised but pleasantly so. He tried to hide his pleasure at spending time with her by saying cheekily, "I suppose you can be trusted."

Fred made an indignant noise and laughed."Ok, so what have I got to do?"

The Doctor hesitated. He knew what he wanted to do but he wasn't sure if he should. He wasn't sure if he trusted himself to be so close to her. But when he glanced down at her, her eyes wide and dark and her lips pressed together and pink, he found that he couldn't deny himself. He stretched out his left hand to her. She frowned, unsure of what he was going to do but took his hand nonetheless. He twirled her so she had her back to him and then held her around her waist and lifted her.

Fred squealed with surprise as he placed her next to him in the swinging seat. The seat was small for one person so to have two in it was an incredibly tight squeeze. As much as they tried to fidget and get themselves comfortable, their legs kept tangling together. The Doctor flushed with embarrassment and pleasure while Fred just grinned, happy at the Doctor's willingness to be so close to her.

The Doctor shook himself and reached up for the wires again, passing one to Fred this time. She took it quietly, holding a little warily. The Doctor passed her the sonic screwdriver and she looked at him in surprise before taking that too. They worked in silence for a few minutes before Fred suddenly grinned and said,

"Rory's drunk on that wine I bought him for Christmas."

The Doctor laughed. "Is he? I don't know who to feel sorry for; Amy for having to put up with him drunk or Rory for the telling off he'll probably get when he sobers up."

Fred paused, thinking before settling on: "Rory. I definitely feel more sorry for Rory."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Poor Rory."

They lapsed into silence for a few more minutes more before Fred said,

"They're worried about you."

The Doctor shot her a quizzical look, his concentration breaking so quickly a bundle of sparking wires nearly fell on his head. "Worried? Why would they be worried?"

"Well, they think you're going to be on your own at Christmas." Fred replied, twisting the wires above her so it no longer sparked.

"I suppose I am." The Doctor's mood fell a little but he painted on his classic boyish grin and said, "But that's fine. Could do with a break from you lot anyway!"

Fred rolled her eyes. "Oh, Doctor don't be silly! You're not going to be on your own. You're coming with me to my house for Christmas."

"Am I?"

"Yes of course!" Fred grinned, throwing him the sonic casually. "You'll be there whether I want you to be or not. You know my mum loves you; as soon as she sees you, she'll drag you inside and you'll be wearing a Christmas hat and eating mince pies quicker than you can say, "_No thanks, Mrs. Knight. I'm just going to spend Christmas sulking in the TARDIS._""

The Doctor was offended and pleased at the same time so all he could manage was an: "Oh." He thought for a second more. "Do _you_ want me there?"

"What?" Fred frowned, confused.

"You said that I'd be there whether you wanted me there or not. I don't want to go if you don't want me to."

"Doctor, I was joking! Of course I do!"

"Oh." The Doctor said again, his cheeks flushing. She grinned at his awkwardness and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before resuming her work with the wires above them.

The Doctor smiled to himself and followed suit. He picked up the two wires again, pressed them together and sighed with relief when they didn't spark. They fitted together perfectly.

* * *

><p>"Another mince pie, Doctor?"<p>

The Doctor winced, the mere smell pushing him close to being sick. "Er, no thanks Mrs. K. I think seven is quite enough for me."

"You ate seven?" Fred cried, wandering into the living room where the Doctor was sandwiched on the sofa between Fred's mother and grandmother, both of whom were keen to 'feed him up'.

"Oh, now don't make fun, Fred dear." Fred's Gran said, patting the Doctor on the shoulder. "He's all skin and bone! He could do with a few good meals."

Fred rolled her eyes but said no more on the subject. "Come on, Doctor. We'll be sleeping in my old room tonight."

"Right!" The Doctor glugged down the last of his tea and said, "Mrs K, Mrs...Gran, it's been a pleasure!"

Fred grinned and sighed when her mother pecked the Doctor's cheek and bade him goodnight and sat back down in her seat without even acknowledging Fred herself. "Err, night mum!"

"Oh, I'm sorry dear! Goodnight, my darling. Sleep tight." She pulled Fred into a bone-crushing hug and stage-whispered in her ear, "And if you and he..._get up to anything_...could you keep the noise down? You know your father's a light sleeper."

Fred spluttered and the Doctor gaped, the two of them glowing red. Fred's mother just smiled and said again, "Goodnight, dears! See you tomorrow!"

Fred shook her head, her mouth opening and closing before she gave up and led the Doctor upstairs in shocked silence leaving her mother and Gran to watch Christmas Eve television in peace.

* * *

><p>"Are we going to fit in there?" The Doctor asked sceptically, eyeing the cramped single bed with suspicion as he messily brushed his teeth.<p>

"Of course we will!" Fred said, emerging from the bathroom in her nightwear. "I've shared this bed loads of times."

The Doctor stopped brushing his teeth to raise his eyebrows at her.

"I shared it with friends! For sleepovers!" Fred defended herself fiercely before adding quietly, "Mostly."

The Doctor ignored her and returned to the bathroom to spit out the foaming toothpaste in his mouth. Fred took the opportunity to clamber into bed, picking the best side to sleep on.

"You know," The Doctor called from the bathroom. "We could just sleep in the TARDIS! There's much more room in there!"

"No! There's no point in me coming home for Christmas but still sleeping in the TARDIS!" Fred called back, scowling in the blue light. "And did you have to land her in here? There's even less room now!"

"I'm not leaving her outside! It's raining!"

"Doctor, if she can withstand a meteor storm I think she can withstand some heavy rain!"

"She needs a rest!" The Doctor entered the room again, closing the door behind him; his face thankfully toothpaste free.

"Fine." Fred sighed, giving up. "Just don't moan to me if your get up in the middle of the night for the toilet and stub your toe on her."

"I won't!" The Doctor clambered into bed next to her. "You're sure we'll fit?" He said, half of him still dangling of the edge.

"Yes. It just takes some reorganisation. Here." She leaned back right along the edge of the bed allowing the Doctor to slid further in.

"Now you're falling out!"

Fred just grinned and heaved herself back in, half on her body on the mattress, the other half overlapping with the Doctor. It was oddly comfortable. The Doctor put his arms around her to stop them both falling off and she snuggled against his chest, closing her eyes. The Doctor let his head sink into the pillows and sighed contentedly.

* * *

><p>The Doctor's contentment didn't last long. It was an hour later when the sound of him huffing woke Fred from her pleasant sleep.<p>

"What?" She grumbled into his chest.

"I'm bored. Time passing is _so boring._"

Fred was too tired for the Doctor's nonsense. "Shut up. Go to sleep."

"I can't." He whined. "I'm too bored to sleep."

"_Too bored to sleep?_ Doctor, that's ridiculous."

"We're just sleeping to get to Christmas Day aren't we?"

"I suppose." Fred answered noncommittally. She should have known the Doctor would get restless at spending a few hours in a normal, domestic place where there was no threat of alien attack or planetary collapse.

"Well, we could just get in the TARDIS and skip ahead to – "

"No!" Fred hissed, sitting up and glaring at him. "For god's sake, Doctor can't just live normally for a night?"

The Doctor's hazel eyes were dark with confusion. "But I don't see why we should! If we're waiting for Christmas then why not just go to Christmas?"

"Because you _have_ to go through Christmas Eve first! Doctor, some things...with some things the build up is the best thing." The Doctor looked baffled at this idea. "Christmas Day is nothing without Christmas Eve! You have to have all that excitement, the cooking, the wrapping first or...Christmas Day is nothing. If everyone skipped Christmas Eve, no one would have anything ready to do on Christmas Day."

"Oh. Well, I suppose..."

She glared at him again before settling back down against him. He tentatively put his arms back around her.

"Sorry." He apologised. "I just...I'm not used to living so normally. Finding it a bit odd."

"Listen, Doctor." Fred said without moving to look at him. "Really _listen_. When you live 'normally' you can hear everything. When you're not rushing around looking for something to solve, you can actually _live._ I can hear the rain outside, the people laughing in the next house. I can hear _you_. I can hear your hearts beating, your breathing, your voice rumbling in you before it comes out. That's boring, Doctor. That's amazing. There's so many beautiful things...if you take the time to look for them. They're life. And I don't want to skip all the way through my life."

The Doctor had no words to say after that; he didn't feel like he could respond. So instead, he squeezed her tighter and said quietly,

"I have a present for you."

She looked up at him then, smiling a little. "Do you? I didn't think you bought presents."

He shook his head. "No, no, I didn't buy it."

She squinted at him. "You didn't steal it, did you?"

He laughed gently. "No, I didn't steal it. It's not something you can buy."

She rolled over on her stomach, pressed against him. She fixed him with an intrigued look. "What is it?"

He seemed to hesitate, unsure if he really should give it to her or not, but he quickly decided he should and motioned for her to sit up. She did, sitting halfway down the bed, facing him.

"What is it?" She asked again.

"It's...a bit odd. I don't know if I should tell you about it first. You might not...you might find it intrusive."

At those words, she looked a little alarmed. "Intrusive? Bloody hell, what is it?"

"Do want me to tell you or should I just do it?"

Fred only thought for a second. "Do it. I trust you."

He blinked in surprise but nodded, moving a little closer to her on his knees. He placed on hand around the back of her head in her hair and slowly brought her head to rest against the side of his so they were temple to temple. For a moment, nothing happened though the Doctor was concentrating hard. Then, he rubbed the side of his head against hers like a cat rubbing against its owner's legs. Fred began to feel odd, a little dizzy, like she'd just taken a blow to the side of her head. The Doctor's other arm slid around her waist, making sure she didn't pull away. Fred understood why a second later when a bolt of white-hot pain shot through the side of her head and her instinctive reaction was to pull away. His arm kept her anchored to his side. He rubbed against her head again and this time Fred felt an odd tingle of pleasure. So she did it back. She felt the Doctor's fingers tighten on her waist and what the Doctor had been so evidently waiting for happened.

Fred gasped loudly as her mind was filled with things that weren't hers. It felt like someone had just opened a door between her mind and the Doctor's and know everything was running about wherever it pleased. After a moment, she realised it wasn't really mind reading or anything like that; it was a bond. Images of things she hadn't seen flashed in her mind and so did the emotions that went with them. She had wrapped her arms around him without realising, not wanting this contact to break yet. It was the most amazing thing she had ever experienced; she felt like he could tell her things now that she might understand better and that she might – finally – be able to comprehend his complex mood swings.

The stream began to slow until her mind was her own again and the door between them was closed. He pulled away gently, both releasing each other slowly. When they were fully parted, she suddenly felt cold. She shivered and the Doctor rubbed her bare arms.

"What was that?"

"_Amoris vinculo_. It's an old Time Lord ritual."

"Ritual?"

"Eternal bonding." The Doctor said, calmly.

"_Eternal bonding?"_ Fred spluttered. "Bloody hell. Maybe you should've told me about it first. Not sure I want you for an eternity." His eyes widened in panic before she laughed. "I'm joking!"

He puffed out a breath, relieved. "It's not...I mean we're not _bonded bonded_. We're just sort of...linked. All Time Lords have physic links to each other where they can share thoughts, feelings, memories...even conversations. This is a little different. It's not so inclusive. This link will just be when we want it."

"Right. So every time we want to do it, we have to go through that?"

"It'll lessen the more we do it. If we do it enough, we might even be able to connect without touching each other." He said, excitedly.

"Have you ever done this before?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Nope. You're my experiment."

"Oh, great!" Fred said, laughing slightly. "If my brain melts during the night you'll know why." He snorted and she smiled. She touched his face gently and said, "Thank you." She pressed a long kiss to his lips before snuggling back down against him, tiredness crawling over her eyes. "You know, I think that _Amoris vinculo_ beats the rotating bow tie I bought you."

The Doctor suddenly leapt up, Fred rolling to balance precariously on the edge of the bed. "You bought me a rotating bow tie?" He repeated, his voice brimming with joy. "Can I open it now?" He looked at the clock. "See? See? It's 3 o'clock. It's technically Christmas Day! Can I open it? Can I?"

Fred laughed. "If you want." She crawled down to the bottom of the bed when a stocking hung. She pulled out a small bow and handed it to him. "But it's really not that exciting! It's just bow tie!"

He ripped off the wrapping and prised open the box, peering inside like it was the most precious thing he'd ever owned. "Bow ties are always exciting! Especially rotating ones!"

She laughed again as he sat on the edge of the bed, watching it twirl over and over again, his joy never fading. She pulled the covers back over herself, trying to block out his hoots of laughter.

"Merry Christmas, Doctor."

* * *

><p><em>I hope you enjoyed reading and please leave me a little (or big...I'm not fussy!) review as a Christmas present! I'd be such a happy lady!<em>

_Have a fantastic Christmas everyone!_


	11. Domestic Issues

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry being absent for so long but I'm back! Yay! I wanted to write a sort of angsty argument between Fred and the Doctor but it turned into a humourous argument instead. Hey ho! I hope you still like it!

Thanks to all the lovelies who reviewed the last one shot: **kie1993, Simpa007, MayFairy, alyssa love, SiennaWayne, Rwy'n-Y-Blaidd-Drwg **and **Shifuni.**

* * *

><p><span>Domestic Issues<span>

Amy and Rory were undercover. No, that didn't mean they were in some sleazy club waiting for a gang leader to slip up and say something incriminating, it meant that they were _taking cover._ It had been a long day on a wild, lawless planet and they'd gotten into a hell of a lot of trouble. It was one of those days where Amy and Rory held each other and were happy to be alive and safe in the TARDIS.

But the Doctor wasn't happy. Even from her and Rory's room, Amy could hear the Doctor slamming doors and muttering. By the sound of it, he was just...charging around. He seemed to have no purpose other than to slam doors. Despite the unpleasant situation, Amy fought the urge to giggle. For a Time Lord centuries old, the Doctor could be such a teenager. She looked at Rory who had also begun to grin but their smiles quickly faded when the Doctor had slammed the door in the corridor outside their bedroom and he began shouting down to the other end of the corridor:

"OH, LOOK WHO IT IS! SO YOU'RE NOT AVOIDING ME, ARE YOU?"

Amy winced when she heard Fred's voice shout back. "WHY WOULD I AVOID YOU? YOU'RE SO SKINNY AND WEAK, IT'S LIKE YOU CAN CAUSE ME ANY HARM IS IT?"

"OH, IS THAT RIGHT? I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW I'M VERY STRONG! STRONGER THAN YOU, ANYWAY! LISTEN TO HOW LOUD I CAN SLAM THE DOOR!"

The Doctor slammed the door loudly, making everything shake. Amy rolled her eyes. This had to be the most pathetic argument she'd ever heard.

"SO WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT, HMM?" The Doctor demanded. "STILL THINK I'M WEAK?"

"_THAT'S_ WHAT YOU CALL BEING STRONG? OH, PLEASE, DOCTOR, THAT'S THE MOST PATHETIC THING I'VE EVER HEARD."

"OH IS IT NOW? IS IT? WELL WHY DON'T YOU SLAM THE DOOR AND WE'LL SEE HOW STRONG YOU ARE!"

For a blissful moment, Amy was glad to hear that Fred's voice quietened to a normal level but her joy was short lived. "No, Doctor. No I'm not going to slam the door because it's SO BLOODY STUPID!"

"STUPID, IS IT? STUPID? SO YOU THINK I'M STUPID AS WELL, DO YOU?"

"NO." Amy could almost hear Fred gritting her teeth. "I JUST THINK YOU'RE _BEING STUPID!"_

"YOU'RE THE ONE THAT'S BEING STUPID!"

"NO YOU ARE!"

"NO YOU ARE!"

"YOU'RE BOTH BEING STUPID!" Amy bellowed, finally having enough and wrenching open her door to see the Doctor flushed and tense and Fred, further down the corridor by the stairs, pushing her hair back angrily and glaring at him. "Just go to bed! Both of you!"

"Fine." Fred said and began climbing the stairs.

"FINE!" The Doctor shouted again, determined to get the last word. Amy thwacked his arm and he yelped. "Ow! What was that for?"

"She's right! You're being _bloody stupid!"_

The Doctor huffed and glared at Amy. "_I'm_ being stupid? You saw what she did today!"

"Yes, I did." Amy said, only just clinging onto her patience. "And I don't agree with it but I really don't think you're helping. Why can't you just talk to her about it?"

He snorted. "I think it's past that." And with that, he stalked off back down the stairs and down into the console room.

* * *

><p>Rory <em>hated<em> this. Physical problems he was great with – he was a nurse after all – but emotional ones just weren't his bag. Especially when they were the Doctor's and he had been instructed to 'talk to him about it'. If it had been anyone other than Amy who had told him to do it, he would have told them to get stuffed. He took the stairs down to the console room slowly, dreading this conversation. His last proper conversation with the Doctor, on a one-to-one level, had been about Fred as well, but that had been a considerably happier conversation. And it had taken _ages_. So Rory wasn't expecting to get much sleep tonight.

"Uh, Doctor?" He began tentatively as the Doctor fiddled with the console, his back to him. "Are you...er...are you alright?"

"I'm fine." The Doctor replied in a tone that indicated he was not.

"Yeah...you don't sound it."

"Don't I?" The Doctor gave a hollow laugh and sat down in the chair next to the rail, rubbing his forehead. "Then I suppose I'm not."

"Oh." Rory wasn't sure what he could say to that. "Is there...anything I can do?"

The Doctor gave another empty laugh and shook his head. "No, nothing." He forced a smile but it just looked bitter. "But thank you for asking."

Rory nodded and turned to leave, feeling he'd got out of this very light indeed and at least he could tell Amy he tried. His foot had just touch the first step when the Doctor burst out,

"_Why did she do it, Rory?_ She _knew_ it would make me angry but she did it anyway! Why?"

"Oh, god." Rory muttered to himself before turning back around and surrendering himself to the Doctor's fury.

* * *

><p>"Don't you think that this is at least a bit your fault?" Amy asked Fred tentatively.<p>

"My fault?" Fred bristled, pulling her wild hair into a messy bun. "How is it my fault that he nearly got us all killed?"

Amy watched as Fred stood up from her bed and fiddled with the jewellery on her dressing table. "I know, but that's just him isn't it? He would've got us out of it, he always does."

"But what if one day he isn't there? Then we have to find our own way out, don't we? I was just practising that's all."

"Well maybe you should've practised when he wasn't looking. You know how the Doctor feels about violence. And since when did you carry a knife?"

Fred hesitated and shrugged. "I suppose it's been a while since I _haven't_ had one on me. When I was with the Master he was always sure to tell me how important it was to be protected at all times. He wasn't as..._ helpful_ as the Doctor in most situations so I often had to dig my way out of it myself."

"Did you kill anyone?" The question was out of Amy's mouth before she could stop it.

Fred's face darkened and she said, "I tried not to."

Amy didn't push it. His was obviously a sensitive subject and she didn't want to nag her. Besides, Fred _had _saved all of their lives today and she was greatful, even if she didn't agree with her methods. She tried to say cheerily, "But you didn't kill anyone today!"

Fred looked at her before laughing a little. "No I didn't."

* * *

><p>"It's not like she killed anyone, Doctor. She just...cut them up a bit." Rory finished lamely, watching the Time Lord pace back forth.<p>

"You know I don't like violence Rory! She still hurt them!"

"In case you didn't notice, Doctor, they were about to kill us. I believe the Chieftain's exact words were, _'Prepare to die, traitors.'"_

Even the Doctor had to concede that. "But I could've still got us out of there without hurting anyone!"

"Then why didn't you?" Rory was rapidly losing patience. He wanted to go to bed. "If you had a plan then you were leaving awfully late."

"Well...alright I didn't! But I might have!"

"So she saved all of us! Whether you like what she did or not, you have to acknowledge that, at least."

The Doctor nodded slowly but Rory had a feeling something else was bothering him. The Doctor had gone from openly angry to quietly brooding. Rory began to think he preferred the anger to this closed, tortured mood of the Doctor's.

"What now?" He asked wearily, thinking he'd probably regret asking.

"It's not even just what she did it's just that...she's got a _knife._ And I didn't even know. I didn't even know that she could use one." He shook his head and slumped in his seat. "She doesn't tell me anything anymore. When we first travelled together, she was always there to share things with and she told me everything. And now...now I don't feel like I know her."

* * *

><p>"I don't think he knows me as well as he thinks he does." Fred said flatly. "He still thinks I'm the same person I was when I first met him. But I'm not; I can't be. Not after all the things I've seen."<p>

Amy sighed and hoped that Rory was having more luck getting the Doctor to soften. "But he still loves you. If you've changed or not, for better or for worse. He still loves you."

Fred blushed and smiled slightly. "I don't know about that."

"It's true! Whether he knows it or not, it's true."

"Hmm..." Fred trailed off, not convinced but Amy saw a smile still lingering on her face. A knock came at the door and before Fred could protest, Amy pulled it open. The Doctor stood there, looking somewhere between sheepish and angry. "What?" Fred asked haughtily.

"I...er...I've come to have a chat."

Amy glanced between the two of them before spotting Rory outside the room, peering in, worried. "We'll leave you to it." She jumped up and seized Rory's hand, muttering, "Come on, we should take cover. Again."

There was an awkward silence as Fred and the Doctor were left alone, both seemingly waiting for other to apologise. Fred huffed and crossed her arms across her chest, fixing the Doctor with another glare. The Doctor's softening mood disappeared when he saw that Fred was waiting for him to apologise.

"What do you want? I thought you were going to '_chat'."_

"Well maybe I've decided that you're not worth chatting to." The Doctor said, feeling an odd sort of pleasure in arguing with her, an odd sort of desire to be near her.

"Then what are you still doing here?" Fred's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Amy told us to go to bed. I sleep here, don't I?"

Fred snorted. "You think I'm going to let you sleep in my bed even though you haven't apologised for being horrible to me?"

"Yes I do because – technically – this is _my_ bed. The TARDIS is mine therefore everything inside her is. Including this bed. So _you_ can't stop me." He stuck out his chin defiantly but Fred just clicked her tongue and shrugged.

"Fine. I suppose I can't stop you. Just...don't spend all night having a go at me."

The Doctor began pulling off his jacket, shoes, socks and shirt and clambering into bed. "I won't. I think it's best we don't speak."

"Fine."

"Fine!"

* * *

><p>The Doctor awoke in the middle of night and his eyes strained in the dark. Something was missing. Something that was usually on his right. It was only when he heard the click of a light switch that he realised Fred had clambered out of bed. He suddenly felt cold.<p>

"Fred?" He croaked. "Where are you?"

"I'm here." She rounded the corner, a glass of water in hand. "I just needed a drink."

She slid back in next to him and shivered slightly. "It's cold."

"I know. I need to alter the temperature in here again." The Doctor made to get up but Fred's hand on his chest pushed him back down.

"No, don't." She cuddled up to him and he smiled, pulling her closer. "I like being a bit cold sometimes."

As she fidgeted in his arms and he could feel her soft breath on his skin, the Doctor realised he was starting to see the benefits of being a bit cold too. Eventually, he said,

"I'm sorry. For earlier."

She rested her chin on his chest and looked at him. "Me too."

He pushed her away from her face and she brushed her lips over his. She went to pull away but he kept her there, enjoying the feel of her lips too much to let her go.

* * *

><p>In the morning, Amy and Rory took the steps down to the console room with extreme caution. They hadn't heard any arguments after they went to bed, but that might just mean that the Doctor and Fred were avoiding each other. And that would mean that there would be a horrible atmosphere in the TARDIS.<p>

But they'd need not have worried. The Doctor was stood at the console with Fred in front of him, his hands over hers as he showed her how to fly the TARDIS. Amy and Rory stood half way down the stairs, unspotted, and watched their friends laugh as Fred forget the order of the controls. It was only when the Doctor leaned around her and murmured something in her ear that made Fred's cheeks flush as his hands slid down to her hips that Rory cleared his throat loudly and Amy said,

"That's enough of that, you two!"

The Doctor blushed but he didn't move his hands and Fred didn't tell him to.

For now, they were happy and that was all that mattered. As long as they had each other, they could get through anything.

* * *

><p><em>Bit more fluffy than I intended but I hope you liked it nonetheless!<em>

_Please leave a review...they make me so happy!_


End file.
